Beyond the Warrior
by JadeWing
Summary: Okay, the last chapter, chapter number SIX, is up! For those of you who don't get the title, go see Austin Powers. Wait, on second thought, don't unless you're...um...older than 12. For those of you new to the scene, this is the sequel to Shin no Chikara.
1. Prologue

Beyond the Warrior

Beyond the Warrior

Prologue

Okely dokely! Hello all, and welcome to the sequel of Shin no Chikara! This took a while to write, and I have a warning: If you thought Shin no Chikara was dark, you ain't seen NOTHING yet. This is more about who Sakura really is and how she's going to deal with it than about her and her power, and there's a lot of really rough times. Of course, there are the standard comic relief characters, and there are some funny parts, but this gets really, really dark at some parts and the end may surprise you. 

Why is there even a sequel? Well, I felt like there were too many loose ends in Shin no Chikara, and these ideas kept coming at me, and I felt like a sequel was just begging to be written. Besides, in the third chapter Chibiusa mentions something about Sakura that Setsuna says she can't tell anyone. I had to follow up on that, so here's the sequel. 

So, when we left off in Shin no Chikara, Sakura and Li were reunited, everybody in the school had just seen her kiss him and were impressed, not to mention awed by the fact that she knew the senshi, and everybody was going on a picnic because Sakura had the day off. The skies are blue, the trees are green, the birds are singing, and everybody's happy. What could go wrong?

You're about to find out.

Disclaimer: Where do people get the idea that I own this? I don't? Get it into your heads!

Ready? Heeeeeeere weeeeeeeee gooooooo!

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Sakura

"Nice exit there, Sakura," Makoto commented dryly as we walked down the empty street. "Are you two going to start making out again?"

I responded to that by frying her with a lightning bolt, grateful no one was on the sidewalk except for us. I didn't look behind to see if it had struck--her yelp was proof enough. Li made no comment; he only smiled as we walked down the street, hand in hand.

I leaned my head on his shoulder. There were no problems; no half-evil half-good sorceresses out to destroy me, no lords of nightmares, no partial reincarnations. All in all, life was good.

For the moment.

We reached the park, then sat down under a large weeping willow by the river. The screen of its lacy branches hid us.

"All right, Sakura. You promised us a picnic, now pay up!"

I sighed. "Greedy, greedy." A dab of Sun power here, a dash of Venus power there, and a picnic fit for a king fell out of thin air, complete with a checkered cloth.

"Excellent!" Usagi crowed, grabbing a roll and stuffing it into her face. "Yummy–Sahkoowuh, dis es dewishush!" 

"Thanks," I said shyly, passing out plates. "How long are you guys going to be around?"

"Well, that's something we need to talk about," Luna said gravely. "Sakura, we have a notion thatWell, could you turn into the Warrior for us?"

"Here? Now?" At her nod, I said slowly, "Well, I can try." I pulled out what I called the Celestial Key and tried to recall how exactly I'd become the Warrior twice before. There was something that came to my mind, and I went inside, to my heart. A ball of green fire burned fiercely in its depths, and I tugged at it. Nothing. When I'd become the Warrior, it had exploded', but now there was no reaction. I tried again; no response. "I–I can't!" I gasped, stunned.

"That's what I thought," Luna said vaguely. "Let me see that." I numbly set the Key in front of her, and she stared at it, muttering under her breath. The crescent on her forehead started to glow. Her gaze intensified, and I knew I didn't want to be caught under it. Suddenly, both the moon and the Key flared, and the level of magic present shot up. For a minute, I was blinded from the burst of light, but then the spots cleared from my eyes and in the Key's place I saw a short wand that was oddly familiar. It was exuding more power than I cared to think about. "Go on, pick it up," Luna said wearily.

"It's so. familiar," I mused, turning it over and over in my hand.

"That's because it _was_ the Key," Luna said. "Stand up." I obeyed. "Now say Celestial Power.'"

"Celestial Power?" I asked, confused. The wand flared and I yelped. Feathers and sparks flew all around me. "AAAAHHH!!!!" Then it all came to a halt, and I looked down, stymied.

I was in a Sailor Fuku. 

"No! No! No!" One of my hands was just sort of waving frantically around my face, the other weighed down by a staff that had been the wand. "I'm not the eldest daughter! I can't be a Senshi! And–and–thigh highs, and miniskirt, and bow, and–they don't go together EVER! This outfit says I have NO FASHION TASTE! AND I'M NOT A SENSHI! I'm the Celestial WARRIOR! There's gotta be some kind of bad, bad, BAD mistake!"

"Here." Michiru enlarged her Aqua mirror to full-length size, then set it in front of me so I could actually see what I looked like.

"Oh" I gently waved my new wings. "I don't believe thisLuna, I'm a JUPITER princessdoes that make me a–a second Sailor Jupiter? A Sailor Jupiter junior?"

"Oh, now that's an interesting thought," Ami commented. "Sailor ChibiJupiter?" 

"Nope," Luna said simply. "Ladies and gentlemen, I present Sailor Sky."

"Sailor _what?!"_ I demanded. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"It means that since your power comes from the sky, you're Sailor Sky, not Sailor ChibiJupiter and most certainly not Sailor Jupiter Junior."

"_That_ sounds like a bad comic book," Haruka said dryly. "Or a badly-dubbed anime." [AN: ::cough cough:: Mini-Moon! ::cough cough::]

"Look on the bright side!" Usagi smiled. "You'll get your own line of accessories!"

"_What?!"_

"You know," Minako said cheerfully. "Your own animated movie, Sailor Sky plush dolls, Sailor Sky Halloween costumes, your own cartoon, your own logo, Sailor Sky school supplies, Sailor Sky markers, Sailor Sky stationarythe list goes on."

I blanched. "I think I'm going to be sick"

"Oh, the media blitz dies down after a while," Hotaru reassured me.

"Spiffy," I sighed. "But how did this happen? Only the eldest daughters are Senshi, and I'm not. An eldest daughter, that is." 

"I don't know," Luna said blandly, looking away. I blinked. Did she know something? "We'll find out later. Did you regain any power?"

"Some," I said sadly, de-transforming. "But still not as much as being the Warrior. Can I still use the cards with this thing?" I asked, holding up the wand.

"Yes, you can. It'll turn into the staff whenever you tell it to, and you can use them with it."

"Good." I shivered. "I don't want to not be able to." Rubbing my forehead wearily, I added, "Especially when I can't be the Warrior."

"Yeah, no kidding," Usagi agreed as I sat down. "Looks like we'll be staying here until you're back up to snuff, then."

__

"What?!"

"Well, what if someone attacks you guys?" Ami said pointedly. "There are only two Warriors, and neither of you are exactly what I'd refer to as dispensable. "

"So we've got your back until you're the Warrior again and we can make sure that nothing evil out there's gonna come and kill you," Makoto said wryly.

I shook my head ruefully. "It's not exactly like I can keep you out," I teased. There was a brief moment of silence.

Then a small figure broke through the willow branches and launched itself at Li, hugging him tightly around the waist. I caught sight of awfully familiar, unruly brown hair before the little girl yelled something that made us forget about everything else.

"Daddy!"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

O.o Li's avery, uh, BUSY person, I guess! Ah, craziness ensuesso, who's ready for the next chapter?


	2. All Hell Breaks Loose

Beyond the Warrior

Beyond the Warrior

Chapter Two: All Hell Breaks Loose

You know what? I've got nothing to say, other than I don't own anything in this fic. Let's get going, shall we?

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Sakura

"Daddy!"

"Sora?!" Chibiusa asked incredulously.

"Daddy?" I echoed softly, my voice low and dangerous. "Daddy? Not--telling me everything--now were we, Li?"

He gestured helplessly at the little girl who was wrapping her arms her arms around his stomach. "She isn't mine!"

"Not yours?!" I exploded. "Not _yours? Look at her hair! _I mean, it's bad enough that--but she's like eight, and you're fourteen, so that makes you six when--EW! EW! EWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW!!! That is WRONG! JEEZ, what kind of family did you grow UP in?!"

"Sakura, I've never seen her before in my life!"

"That's why she's calling you Daddy, huh?"

"I don't know why she is!"

"_Suuuuure_. The least you could do is TELL me you had a daughter!"

The little girl had long since let go of him, and was now watching us fight. Her big eyes filled with tears, and a minute later I noticed.

"Aw, come here, sweetie," I said, kneeling down and hugging her. After all, it wasn't _her _fault. I glared at Li. "Now you've made her cry! Honestly, Li!" At his stunned silence, I continued ranting. "How many other kids have you got, huh? What are their names? Do their mothers send you Christmas cards with their pictures inside? Do you send them child support checks? Have you—"

"Mommy?" the little girl asked. 

She was talking to me.

"Um, I'm not your mother," I said nervously. "I, uh, _can't_ be."

"Yes you are!"

"Wow," Minako said, impressed. "I had no idea they'd gone _that_ far."

I turned about nine different shades of red. "WE HAVEN'T!" We both shouted at the same time.

"But if Li's her father, and Sakura's her mother, then that means" Rei trailed off pointedly.

"I'M NOT HER MOTHER!" I yelled, beet red. "DAMMIT, I'M A VIRGIN! WHAT DO I LOOK LIKE, A—"

"Um, Sakura?" Chibiusa cut me off.

"What?"

"You guys, um, just _look _like her parents." She seemed to be struggling not to laugh. "She's from the future. Right, Sora?" 

"What?" She sniffled and raised he head from my shoulder. 

"He just _looks _like your father, right? And Sakura _looks _like your mother. And you're from the future."

"Oh." She took a step back and stared hard at us and at Chibiusa. "Yeah."

I was at a loss for words. A strange, gurgling noise emitted from my throat, but other than that I was speechless. So, fortunately, was Li.

"Um, yeah" Minako said, breaking the tense silence. "Sowhy are you here, Sora?"

At that, tears welled up in her green eyes again. "Mommy—and Daddy—they're in trouble," she said softly. "Aunt Serenity gave me th-the crystal an' said to get you guys as soon as you found the L-lunar Senshi. She s-said I had to st-stay with you until you do." As she spoke, two winged cats flew up beside her.

"Hello!" One giggled. "I'm Sapphire Star, Sora's guardian."

"And I'm Jade Comet, her other, more useful guardian," the other sniffed. "Master Eriol sends his greetings, Lady Sakura and Master Li."

"Don't be so formal!" The blue one squeaked. She was incredibly strange looking, due to the fact that her wings were a cross between butterfly and bird wings. "It's depressing!"

"Oh, grow _up, _Saffy," the green one sighed. She had normal green bird wings, her false form looking like a small Siamese cat, only in green. "Honestly"

"Uncle Eriol gave them to me," Sora explained.

"_Uncle _Eriol?" Li choked. 

"Her parents must know Eriol too, then," I said thoughtfully.

"Yeah, him and Aunt Madison."

"Aunt MADISON?!"

"Yeah, they're married."

I collapsed into giggles.

"But what about the Lunar Senshi?" Artemis asked. "Who're they?"

"They're the Senshi for Jupiter's four major moons," Setsuna said distractedly. "They're pretty strong, but we never needed them, so we don't know who they are, where they are, or how old they are."

"What did you mean by the crystal?" I asked curiously.

She pulled off the broach fastened to her bow on her school uniform and opened it. A green and white stone was inside and exuding more power than I cared to think about. I tried to touch it, but an invisible shield a few inches around it stopped me, and, try as I might, I couldn't get a hand through. Nobody else could, and we didn't know why.

"Aunt Serenity called it the Tenchi Crystal," Sora said tremulously. "She said I had to keep it away from the bad man." 

"Who is this bad man?" Li asked quietly.

She shook her head. "I-I don't know."

"I don't like this," I said under my breath. _Why weren't we there to help? Her parents are obviously important—so where were we?_

I don't know.

I blinked, surprised, and straightened. Had Li just _talked _to me in my _head?_

He looked just as surprised as I did. "Did-did you?"

I slumped down against the tree, hard. This was too much. "I've heard of thinking out loud, but this is ridiculous," I muttered sullenly. 

"What?" Makoto asked, confused.

__

I swear, if one more thing pops up I'm going to shoot myself.

"What?!" Li jumped, and I smacked my forehead. "Are you serious?"

"Of course not!" I snapped, irate.

"What are they talking about?" Rei asked, bewildered.

"He's talking to me in my head!"

"She's talking to me in my head!" We both said crossly at the same time.

__

God, she's pretty when she's mad.

I blushed. "Li!"

He turned red. "You heard that?!"

"Yes!" I shouted, my hands fluttering wildly around my face. "Just—just make it stop—or something!"

"I can't!"

__

GODDAMMITPIECEOF—I stopped the mental string of curses before I really got into them. Of course, a few escaped. _WHAT THE GOD DAMN HELL IS GOING ON?!_

"Ow!" He flinched, then scowled. "Don't yell!"

"I'm not trying to!" I shouted, exasperated beyond human capacity. _I—I—oh, shit_

He raised an eyebrow. "That was nice."

"Um" Minako started tentatively.

I shot a death glare at her. "What?"

"What's going on?" she asked slowly. At the look on my face, she started scooting away, and fast.

__

That's what I'd like to knowI sighed mentally.

__

No kidding.

"AAAAAARRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!" 

It took a little while to explain exactly what was happening. After that and some thought we decided it was because we were the Warriors. "More of the package deal," I moaned. "Not only am I a princess, but I'm a Warrior, a Card Mistress, a Senshi, and some kind of new Joan of Arc in the bargain."

"Doesn't that rule?" Usagi asked brightly.

__

Not to me, it doesn't. I realized I'd thought that out loud and sighed. _Just—don't answer._

Whatever you say'Mommy.'

I narrowed my eyes and glared at him. _That isn't funny. 'Daddy.'_

No? He shrugged. _Too bad._

"Ack!" Usagi scowled at us. "Stop it!"

"What?" I asked, puzzled.

"You're doing it again! Make them stop talking at eachother!" She whined.

"Oh, grow up, Usagi!" Rei said wearily.

__

Here they go 

Yeah, I noticed.

I rolled my eyes but made no comment. _This is going to take getting used to, _I thought to myself.

"Sowhere does she stay?" Makoto asked.

"Well, umChibiusa, could you do that thing you did to Usagi's family with mine?" I asked. "She could stay with me, then."

"WaitI think it only works on people with no magic."

I kept myself from swearing with some difficulty. "II'll just have to BS something to Tori, then."

Makoto grinned. "Actually, you might not"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, if a Senshi or two shows up with a little girl and tells you to take her in, you aren't exactly gonna say no, now are you?" 

I blinked, then grinned myself. "And I thought being a Senshi was nothing but trouble."

"Oh, it is," Usagi said assuredly. "You get used to it after a while."

I rolled my eyes but made no audible comment. Or at least, audible to most of them, _Spiffy_

Sounds like fun, Li 'said' sarcastically at the same time.

I smacked my forehead. _I'm going crazy _"Anybody want to actually _help _me with this?" I asked crossly. "I don't want my thoughts going all over the place."

It took a little practice, but eventually we weren't thinking at eachother unintentionally any more. That was more than a relief--I didn't want him hearing _all _of the thoughts I had, particularly the ones concerning him. And other ones, too

It was late in the day when Makoto and I left to go reason with Tori. By that time, Li and I had made up, so I was in a fairly good mood.

It didn't last for long.

When we came up the sidewalk and paused in front of my house, Tori was outside and washing his car. He glanced up, blinked, frowned, and said, "Nice outfit, Squirt."

My jaw dropped. "But-but-but--how--?"

"Didn't you know?" He cocked an eyebrow. "The entire middle school's buzzing about how Sakura Avalon not only met the Senshi outside, but they treated her like a friend. And she treated someone they brought with them as more than a friend. Thanks for keeping us informed." I couldn't speak. "When were you planning on telling us?"

"Uh--about which?" Makoto asked tentatively.

"All three." He scowled at me. "And especially about your friend who's more than a friend."

I glanced at Makoto, silently begging her for help. She said uncertainly, "Sakura only found out that she was a Senshi this afternoon."

Tori slammed the cloth against the side of the car. "But who _are _you, Sakura? Are you really my sister?"

"Of course!" I shouted.

"Really? Or are you just some reincarnation? Or a spirit? Are you even real? Who _are _you?"

"I don't know!" I yelled, hurt. "Okay? I don't know."

"Can we continue this indoors?" Makoto asked, her eyes steely. "This is a little too public for us to be playing Family Feud."

"Fine with me." Tori stalked inside, and I followed with a sigh.

Before either of us could get in a word, she cut in. "Sakura is more than you see here, Tori."

"I noticed," he said dryly.

She ignored that. "She's more than you probably imagined. Do the words Warrior, Princess, Card Mistress, and Sailor Sky carry any meaning?"

His eyes bulged. "Holy SHIT!"

"Tori!" I covered Sora's ears. "She's only eight!"

He glared at me. "Like I said before, when were you planning to tell us?"

Makoto shot him a look. "She only found out she was a senshi this afternoon. Which you would know if you'd been listening."

I smothered a giggle. Those two were so alike, it was almost scary. They'd never make a good couple, but they were already acting like brother and sister. I suspected it was instinct--after all, they were related to eachother through me, in a way.

"Anyway," Makoto continued, "she's also the reincarnation of my little sister. That makes her heir to the Jupiter throne, in case you're wondering. And I assume you know what the Warriors are?"

"The Elemental and the Celestial? The ones who have to hook up so they can get their full power or something like that?" he asked.

"Yeah. Sakura's the Celestial one."

He rubbed his forehead. "Will the wonders never ceaseand who exactly is the Elemental?"

I braced myself as Makoto said unsuspectingly, "That would be Li."

"WHAT?!" He bellowed. "WHERE'S MY GUN?" [AN: Sorry, I know I used that in A Camp Adventure Gone Wrong, but it's _such _a good line!]

"You don't HAVE a gun, Tori!" I yelled. "And I swear, if you so much as lay a finger on him I'll burn you alive!"

"Don't make her mad," Makoto advised. "She's more than capable of doing it."

"Yeah, don't." Kero flew down the stairs. "She gets pretty nasty when you piss her off. Trust me, I know."

"KERO!"

"Relax, short stuff, I know about him already." Tori sighed, sitting down again. "Your friend left more than a few of those tapes around."

"Oh." That was a shock, but semi-comforting. 

"But what happened while you were gone last year?" He asked suspiciously.

"Ummmlong story," I said nervously. "Makoto, can you tell him? I'm going to show Sora her new room."

"What?!"

It was all sorted out eventually. We'd always had an extra room, but we never used it. I had it cleaned, decorated the way she wanted it, and perfect for a little girl in a matter of minutes. By the time we came downstairs, Tori had resigned himself to the notion that Li and I were going to stay together and there was nothing he could do about it. After all, he didn't want to make me too mad after hearing from Makoto what all I knew how to do.

Then Julian came in.

I think it was the initial shock of seeing me in a Sailor Senshi uniform that sent him over the edge, but it could have been the fact that Tori was talking to Sailor Jupiter, of all people. No matter what the cause, Yue was out in a moment.

"WHO IS THAT?" Makoto yelped, springing to her feet, her lightning antennae shooting out of the tiara as electricity crackled around her fingers.

"Relax, he's my guardian," I said tiredly. "This is Yue. Yue, Makoto. Makoto, Yue."

"Oh," she said sheepishly. "I'm her-her reincarnated older sister."

Yue raised an eyebrow and glanced down at me. "Explain, Card Mistress."

"Here we go again," Kero sighed.

"WellIwenttoHongKongforayearandthenthefirstdayIwasthereLiandIgotkidnappedandwegottooktotheDreamWorldandIhadtofightaDarkLordtogethimbackandIwonandhestillkilledLisoIgotmadandkilledhimandthenbroughtLibacktolifeandthenIcamehomebecausemyinnercorepowergotunlockedandthenwhenIwokeupYelanandItalkedandthenwerealizedIwastheCelestialWarriorandthentheSenshicametoteachmehowtousemypowerandLunadidthisthingandIgotallthesememoriesbackanditturnedoutI'mthereincarnationoftheprincessofJupiterandIkindawastheheirtothethroneandMakoto'sthereincarnationofmyoldersisterandthenIlearnedabunchofstuffandLiandIwerepartnersandhewasbeingmeanandthenItoldhimtoshuthispieholeanditturnedoutthathewasunderaspellandIbrokehimoutofitwhenItoldhimtoshuthispieholeandthentherewasadancebecauseitwasmybirthdayandLiandIgotkidnappedagainbutthistimeitwasbyLadyHeiLongandthenshemadeusfightandthenshethrewusinthedungeonsandputasleepingspellonmeandIdidn'twakeupforliketwentytwohoursorsomethingandthenIwokeupandIknockeddownthedungeonwallsandfoundLiandthenwebecametheWarriorsandIwastheCelestialWarriorandhewastheElementalWarriorandthenwewenttogofighttheDarkLordsagainandthistimewewonbutLadyHeiLonggotawayandshewenthereandwefollowedherandthenshemadeLichoosebetweenhimdyingandeverybodyinReadingtondyingandthenhechosetodieandhekilledhimselfandHeiLongthoughtthatwasfunnyandIgotreallyreallypissedandImadetwonewcardsandkilledherandthenbroughtLibacktolifeagainbuthisspriritwasgonesoIteleportedushomeandthenwenttothespiritworldandgothimbackandthenhewokeupandIpassedoutandthenIsleptforfivedaysandthenIwokeupandIdecidedtogohomebutLiwasn'tcomingwithmesowehadafightandthenIcamebackanywayandthenhecameheretooandsoeverythingwasokaybutthenwewentonapicnicandIfoundoutIcouldn'tturnintotheWarriorsoLunatoldmetogivehertheKeyandIgavehertheKeyandshelookedatitkindafunnyanditturnedintoawandandwhenIpickeditupandsaidCelestialPowerIturnedintoaSenshiandI'mSailorSkywhichisreallyreallyweirdbutthenthislittlegirlnamedSoracameandsheranuptoLiandhuggedhimandcalledhimDaddyandIgotreallyreallyfreakedandstartedyellingandthenChibiusasaiditwascuzwelookedlikeherparentsandthenSorasaidshecamefromthefuturetogethelpbecuaseherparentswereintroubleandshehadthiscrystalthingthathadalotofpowerinitbutnobodycouldtouchitandwedidn'tknowwhyandthenwedecidedsheshouldstayhereandthenwebroughtheroverhere,justMakotoandIdid,andToriknewitwasmecuzofsomereasonandwetalkedandthat'saboutit," I blurted out in a rush. [AN: And then, this one time, at band camp]

There was stunned silence in the room.

"That's it, we're switching you to decaf," Makoto said slowly. "But yes, that is just about all of what happened."

Yue blinked. "And so now you're a Princess, a Warrior, a--"

"Don't go through the whole list," Kero interrupted. "We've gotten the point. Several times over."

"I see" Yue slowly shook his head. "And I missed this all."

"It's a good thing," I reassured him. "Trust me, it's a good thing. You would not want to be there for most of it."

"No," he said wearily. "I don't think I would."

After that, Tori agreed to tell Dad Sora was the niece of a friend of his and she'd be staying with them for a while. And he said that as long as I put my hair in a ponytail, nobody would recognize me as a Senshi, which was a very good thing.

"And actually, your hair's pretty much stuck the way it is now," Makoto said sympathetically. We had de-transformed for the walk back to the park.

"What do you mean by that?"

She grinned, then pulled a pair of scissors out of her purse and chopped off a chunk of my hair.

"What did you do that for?" I demanded, appalled. "Now I'm going to have to grow it out with my power again!"

"Oh no you won't," she said mischievously, pushing me into a nearby alley. "Transform." I obeyed, and immediately it re-grew. "Omigod!" I tugged at it, stunned.   
"It does that every time you transform," she said semi-sadly. "You can't grow it out much further. It always returns to original length. Of course," she said thoughtfully, "you might be different. After all, you're Sailor Sky."

"Oh, shut up." I de-transformed and we resumed our walk. "So how long do you think it's going to take for me to become the Warrior again?"

"That's really bothering you, isn't it?" 

I nodded. "Yeah"

"Why?"

"Well" I blushed. "If I can't become the Warrior, then that means I'm not as strong as Li. He'll feel obligated to protect me if we run into trouble, and then he could get hurt."

"I see your point." Makoto sighed. "Usagi went through _almost _the exact same thing."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, no matter what, people are going to protect you, Sakura. You're important. There are only two Warriors, and you're the one who can use the Life and Death Cards. If Li goes, you can bring him back. But if you go, he's stuck. And unless I'm much mistaken, he'd probably do something very stupid if you go. After all, love is a funny thing."

I blushed. "But I don't want him or you guys hurt."

"I know. Neither did Usagi. The problem is that when something big, ugly, and evil is heading for the Princess and you, the Senshi, can throw yourself in front of it, you have to. She may be the most powerful, but one day, if she meets her match and she croaks, we ain't getting another Usagi. She's done. Kablooey. That's it. So when you've only got one Warrior who can bring anyone in the world back to life, and she's about to get shiskabobbed, you've gotta stand up and take it for her because then she can bring you back."

"But--but that isn't fair," I protested. "I don't want you guys taking hits for me. I can handle them on my own."

"Can you?" She asked skeptically as we neared the park. "What if you can't?"

I was about to respond when a shrill scream split the air. Fire roared up near the Penguin slide as we stared at eachother, aghast, then ducked into a nearby alley and transformed. "I'm going on ahead!" I yelled, flapping my wings to take off. "Get the others!"

"Right!"

"Water!" A silver figure shot water at the flames as plumes of steam rolled up. _Li? But--how can he become the Warrior when I can't?_

It didn't matter now; what was more important was getting the fire out. "Neptune Deep Submerge!" Seawater shot from the tip of my staff as I landed on the top of the slide, dousing more of the flames. 

A girl in orange with wildly curly red hair jumped out of a tree, landing at the foot of the slide neatly. She smiled, her mask covering her eyes, then shot flames at me. I jumped out of the way, yelling, "What is your _problem?!"_

She giggled. "Not much, how about you?"

Scowling, I dodged more and more flames. "Who are you?"

"Kaji of the Dark Four," she laughed. [AN: I know, the names suck! I'm running out of creativity! So sue me!] Turning a cartwheel, she asked like an imitation of the caterpillar in _Alice in Wonderland_, "Whoooo.are _you?"_

"Sailor Sky," I snapped. "Why did you do this?"

"You know what? I'm sick of playing Twenty Questions." She whirled around and called, "Oh, _girls"_

I landed on the ground, wondering what was going on. _She isn't a Clow Cardbut then, what _is _she?_

"Kaze here!" A girl in white bounced out of nowhere, then went into a handstand.

"Mizu is prrrrrreeeesent!" Another jumped out of the river, landing on a rock. "Where's Ishi?"

"I'm here." A last, black-clad girl literally walked out of the ground. "What's up, Kaji?"

"Looks like we got a little _punk_ who thinks she can beat us," she replied mockingly. "Anyone wanna teach her different?"

A waterspout rose into the air, aimed at me, at the same time a fissure opened in the ground. I flapped my wings frantically, darting away, and the funnel leapt after me. No matter how high I went, it kept up with me.

"Sakura!" I glanced down and saw Li watching me. He mouthed "fire" and I nodded. 

"Mars Flame Shooter!" 

"Fire!" 

The spout turned into steam as I dropped down next to him. "Now what?"

"Hey!"

"That's not fair!" Kaze squeaked.

I sighed. "Why are you here?"

"Who cares?" Ishi asked coldly. 

"We'll be back," Kaji growled. A hole opened in the sky, and they vanished.

"What did we miss?" Usagi asked, staring, wide-eyed, at the charred marks on the slide and the deep pits in the sand where the funnel had touched down, not to mention the gaping crevasse Ishi had caused.

"Well," I said slowly, "finding the Lunar Senshi just got a _lot_ more interesting."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Okely dokely! So, that's the second chapter! I made it extra long to make up for the extra-short first one! Aren't you proud of me?

Anyway, the next few chapters arewell, for the most part, depressing. You've been warned. So until then, Adiosity!


	3. Honesty's Daughter

Beyond the Warrior

Beyond the Warrior

Chapter Three: Honesty's Daughter

Well, we left off on an interesting note! New enemies, new powers, new everything. Ah, it does the heart good. Anyway, here's the next chapter.

Does it _look _like I own this? I didn't think so.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Sakura

Li and I walked inside the school building. Hopefully, today I'd be able to complete the school day--yesterday had been way too busy for me. 

"Hey, look! It's the lovebirds!" 

We simultaneously shot that person matching death glares, and his friend shut him up _fast. _

"They're friends with the Senshi! What do you want to end up as, a pile of ash?"

Whispers swept down the hall as I groaned. "Spiffy."

That was nothing compared to going into our first class.

"YOU NEVER TOLD US YOU _KNEW_ THEM! " Chelsea shrieked.

"Can you get me their autographs?" Nikki whispered, eyes shining.

"You know, one of those fukus would make a great battle costume for you, Sakura," Madison said thoughtfully, stars in her eyes.

Li and I exchanged looks. "Too late," I said under my breath.

"What do you mean?" Madison demanded, looking as though I'd taken a treat from her.

It was going to be a long, long day.

"Class, I'd like your attention." Mr. Terada silenced the whispers. After the hectic first period, most everybody had stopped assaulting us with questions or taunts. "We have four new students in our class."

__

Four?

"I'd like you to welcome Koori Tamashii, Arashi Midori, Hayashi Shiryo, and Tenshi Hane." Four girls filed in, looking vaguely familiar. One in particular struck a chord in my memory, but I couldn't think of where I'd seen her before. 

"Arashi and Tenshi, you can sit by Sakura."

Was it a coincidence that there were seats open by my desk?

"Hayashi and Koori, you can sit by Madison."

The two girls moved over, and I saw Arashi had the oddest eyes I'd ever seen. It was like a flame burned in each one, but it shifted and hid when you looked at them. _Don't be so irrational. They're normal girls, just like you, and coincidence isn't enough to prove anything. Is being a Senshi just making me paranoid?That's gotta be it. Honestly, now I'm jumping all over my new classmates because there's four of them. Why can't I just be normal?  
_That echoed in my mind as the girls sat down. _Why can't I just be normal?_

I liked Arashi and Tenshi right away. Tenshi was a light blonde, with pale gray eyes and a high, lilting laugh that was heard often. She had a strange hairstyle--two long braids on either side of her head, but they were looped and more of the braid wrapped around where the loop ended. The tails of the braids hung to her shoulders. Arashi was almost nothing like her, with fiery red, curly hair that went just below her shoulders--if she let it down. For the most part, she just pulled it back into a low ponytail. She was tall, and somewhat intimidating--and she didn't worship the guys like too many of the preppies did. In fact, when one of the most annoying creeps in the school wouldn't stop teasing her about her hair, she kicked him hard in the shins. In a way, she was like Mei Lin. I liked her.

Hayashi and Koori were almost the opposite of their friends. Hayashi was rational, level-headed, and smart--and as stubborn as a rock. If she knew she was right, she'd stick to her argument no matter what. Her hair was pulled into a high ponytail, from where it cascaded smoothly down to her shoulders. The red-orange of her eyes made me think of lava for some reason, but I didn't know why. 

Koori was a different matter entirely. She was quiet and shy, but the most amazing artist I'd ever seen. Her eyes were an icy blue and framed by locks of navy blue hair, darker than Eriol's. Twin strands of lighter blue curled slightly around her chin, giving her a dreamy look. The thing was, if she got mad you got out of her way and fast. She, like Arashi, was a soccer player--and she knew karate. When I asked her why she'd taken lessons, she shrugged and said it was for self defense. It made sense.

We hung out a lot. The sight of Arashi, Koori, Hayashi, Tenshi, Madison, Chelsea, Nikki, Rita, and I was not an uncommon one as we went--literally--everywhere. In the year I'd been gone, the entire school had sort of split into divisions, and everybody had their own little clique. That bothered me to no end, but at least we got to hang out. 

One time, we went to the movies. Of course, I didn't see that much of whatever we were watching--Li and I were sitting next to eachother, and in a darkened theater that only meant one thing--but they still got us kicked out after they were caught throwing Whoppers at this fat old lady who said she was going to sue them for moral and emotional trauma. When Arashi heard that, she told the lady she could just stick the box of Whoppers up her ass, where it could talk to her head, and that got us thrown out. We didn't mind too much--after all, Li and I hadn't been exactly watching the screen. 

__

Beep! Beep! Beep! 

I rolled over in bed and sat up, staring groggily at the clock. _What the hell is making that noise?_

Beep! Beep! Beep!

"Sakura, we need some help here." Rei's voice was short and insistent. It was my communicator. With a sigh, I floated it into my hands, digesting the fact that it was 2:30 in the morning and I was actually awake. That was wrong. Twisted and wrong. "I'm here," I muttered.

"We've got a situation at your school," she said urgently. "They got some kids somehow and put them under a spell. We can't get through it, but you might. Li's on his way too."

"Right." I blinked, trying to wake up more. There was no need to ask who 'they' were. For the past month or so, the Dark Four had been running around the town, pulling pranks and making themselves a dangerous nuisance. I turned off the communicator, then watched my hands dissolve as I teleported to where she was. Transforming, I immediately saw the problem.

About five kids were trapped in a bubble fifty feet up. The Weirdo Quartet, as I thought of them as, were hovering outside it, smirking at us. "Come and get us, girls."

Uranus and Neptune ran up behind us, followed closely by Li. "This looks like fun," Haruka said sarcastically. "Sky?"

I nodded. We shot twin ropes of power--one tawny and one green-streaked yellow-brown--up, and they wrapped around the bubble, pulling it down. It disappeared as soon as it touched the ground. The children were just standing there, so I made it seem like this was all a dream, put them to sleep, and teleported them back into their beds. _Wish I could do the same_ I stared wistfully as they faded. They were so innocent, so carefreethis would all be a bad dream to them when the woke up, one they'd forget as soon as their minds turned to something else. As for me, I was stuck.

I turned back to the Dark Four. They were powerful; too powerful. Every time we'd met, one of us would have to back down. So far, they'd been the first to run away.

Ishi grinned at me. Suspicious, I unfolded my wings and was about to fly away when power surged around my feet and she laughed, saying mockingly, "Go on, try to get away. The little bird can't get out of her nest, can she?"

Looking down, I saw my feet had sunk into the ground.

"Oh Sailor Sky-y-y-y," sang Kaji. "Time to _roast!_"

I angrily shot Saturn power at her, but she dodged it and it lopped off a tree branch instead.

"Neptune Seas!" Michiru and I both threw seawater at them, but Mizu took it and dumped it all on spluttering Rei, then loosed shards of ice at me. I couldn't move, and any shield I put up then wouldn't hold against them.

"Fire! Earth, release her!" A blur of silver-white seized me as my feet were freed and I was pulled out of the way. Fire ate up the shards as Li set me down. "Don't do that to me," he said softly. "I just about had a heart attack."

"Sorry, I'll try not to get killed from now on," I teased.

"You'd better," he said with mock-sternness. 

I looked around for the Dark Four, ready to pound them into the ground. They were gone.

Something red in the corner of my vision caught my eye. I turned and saw a long, shallow gash running down his forearm. "You're hurt!"

He glanced down at it, surprised, then shrugged. "It's no big deal."

"Yes it is. Stop acting like it doesn't hurt and hold still," I ordered. Healing magic flickered around my fingertips as I held them a few inches away, and the skin sealed, not even a scar remaining to mark where the gash had been. I released him, then frowned. _Why is it that everyone else is getting hurt?_ _Why can't I take the blow for once? If I weren't here, this wouldn't be happening._ _Everyone's getting hurt trying to keep me safe_

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

[AN: Could this mean::gasp:: a POV change?!]

3rd Person

Arashi blinked at the numbers on the digital clock. No, that couldn't be right. Tenshi must have messed with the clock again, just as a joke. It was not 12:30, and she had not slept in; because Arashi almost _never_ slept in. 

__

Almost never.

__

She was out last night, wasn't she, she realized guiltily. _She_ was Kaji--an alternate personality that took over Arashi whenever the hell she felt like it. _I hate this! I hate it!_ Somewhere inside of her, she could feel Kaji laughing scornfully. Fire rose up in her vision as she shot thoughts at her, yelling at Kaji because she was so awful. _GET OUT! GET OUT OF MY HEAD! YOU AREN'T ME!_ She retreated, still there but not as obvious, as Arashi shakily got up. _I've got to fight her, or she'll take over completely and I'll be gone._

"Hey Arashi." Hayashi greeted her dully as she walked out of her room, headed for the shower. Koori was sitting at the table, reading the newspaper, while Tenshi was downing a cup of coffee. The four girls lived together.

"We were out last night," Koori said sadly. Like Arashi, the other three girls had evil spirits inside of them.

"Yeah, I know." She sighed. "But we've got to fight them, though! There's gotta be something we can do!"

"I don't know," Tenshi said hopelessly, sounding more and more like Kaze each day.

"Don't give up, Tenshi." Hayashi stared into the distance. "I thinkI think there's someone who can help us."

"Yeah, that dream said so," Arashi said wistfully. "But who IS IT?!" In her frustration, she slammed a fist into the wall and her hand went through. "Uh oh." 

"Arashi!" Hayashi scowled at her in a rare moment of irritation. "We're still paying for this house!"

The four girls had lived together ever since the Dark Four had come. It was funny how different their personalities were, because they got along fairly well. None of them had parents--they'd all ran away from the same abusive foster home.

She gingerly withdrew her hand. It would bruise, but nothing more. Massaging her fingers, she cringed and said, "SorryIt's just so frustrating. Who _is_ it that can help us?"

"Sakura." Koori stared beyond the walls, her pupils vanished and a blue aura surrounding her.

"What?!"

"Wow" Tenshi sighed. "Is she using her magic on purpose?"

"I think _it's_ using _her_," Arashi whispered back as Hayashi hushed them.

Stepping forward, the black-haired girl asked again, "Who can help us?"

"Sakura."

"Why?"

"Because she has the power. She is the One. She will eliminate them, if we tell her. She is the twice-living StarBorn."

"The _what?_"

"StarBorn." Koori's aura vanished as she shook her head, then yelped, "I was just talked through by a friggin' _goddess!_"

"My god" Arashi sat down hard. "What a morning. Which goddess?"

~Hylene,~ a voice said simply in her head. ~After all, her element is water.~

Arashi jumped. "D-d-did you just hear that?"

~No, they didn't.~

"No"

~Only you can hear me now, Arashi. I'm Shanndyra, the goddess of Fire. I just wanted to let you know that Koori is right. Sakura is the One.~ The burning presence in her mind faded as she blinked, stunned. "What a morning, indeed."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Sakura

The Sunday morning was gray and slightly cloudy as I walked in the park, accompanied by the Senshi. We'd gathered again to try to solve two big mysteries: Who were the Lunar Senshi and why were the Dark Four attacking us?

"It doesn't make any sense," Minako said confusedly. "All the youmas and monsters we had to deal with were there for a reason. They were always stealing energy or something."

"But these are just random attacks," Ami added. "Which makes things confusing."

I stared at the ground as Michiru asked, "Why are there the Lunar Senshi in the first place?"

"Jupiter's four biggest moons--Io, Callisto, Ganymede, and Europa-- each are large enough to be their own planet," Artemis explained.

"And they each used to be their own kingdom." Luna's tail swished impatiently. "So they had their own Senshi as well."

"I remember them," Makoto exclaimed. 

"Yeah--and each represented a basic element, didn't they?" I asked, drawing from my memories as a princess. "But starfire and soul weren't included."

"Yes. Io is stone, Callisto fire, Ganymede wind, and Europa water." Luna's eyes narrowed. "The bad thing is, I have reason to believe that, like the Asteroid Senshi, they were captured and turned evil. It would explain why they haven't come to us like they were supposed to."

"Four Senshieach representing a basic element" Ami mused. "No, Luna, I think they have come to us."

It clicked. "The Dark Four," I said slowly. "Of course."

"But who turned them?" Setsuna wondered aloud. "Usagi might be able to fix them the next time we meet, but who was it that turned them in the fist place?"

"I don't know," Luna said grimly. "All I know is that they're every bit as powerful as you outer Senshi."

We all winced appreciatively. "Ouch," Rei commented wryly.

I stared at the ground guiltily. Lately, everyone seemed to be getting hurt but me. Li got hurt saving me. The Senshi got hurt because I didn't protect them well enough. Innocent people got hurt when I wasn't there fast enough. It wasn't right--people I'd never even met were taking the consequences of my actions. Why? Why couldn't it be me in their place?

"Sakura, what's wrong?" Hotaru asked as a tear rolled off my cheek and onto the ground.

Usagi suddenly yelped in shock. "The crystal! It's _glowing!_"

__

Glowing was a gross understatement. The light shed by it was brighter than the sun as the walls of my reality as I saw it were twisted, bent, and hurled into oblivion. Suddenly, I--no, we--were moving. No, not just moving. We were falling _up_. Everything went black.

I woke in the midst of a pile of rubble that appeared vaguely familiar. _Where am I?_

Usagi sat up, looked around, and whined. "Oh, boy. Here we go with the history lessons."

I turned to her. "What do you mean?"

"We're in the ruins of the Moon Palace," she explained wryly as everyone else started sitting up. Nine columns of light flared into existence around us, forming a circle. A moment later, a woman appeared in each, with someone who resembled Usagi at the head. She spoke. "Welcome, Senshi."

"Greetings, Queen Serenity." They all bowed their heads, and I nervously did the same, noticing we had all mysteriously transformed in the fall. This was Usagi's mother, and I was more than awed.

She smiled gently at me. "It's good to see you again, Princess Sakura." Gesturing at the other eight women, she added, "You remember us all." The women came into focus, and one in particular caught Makoto's and my eyes. "Mother?"

The word was echoed around our group as everybody realized that the other eight queens of the planets were standing in front of us.

"You are correct; these are your mothers."

"Queen Hope of Mercury."

"Queen Felicity of Mars."

"Queen Chastity of Venus."

"Queen Honesty of Jupiter."

"Queen Constance of Uranus."

"Queen Faith of Neptune."

"Queen Charity of Pluto."

"Queen Joy of Saturn."

One by one, they said their names and inclined their heads slightly. When they were done, Serenity looked pointedly at Honesty. Honesty sighed and said, "It is time to tell you more of your past. Or show you, I suppose. You have much to learn, but" She faltered, and Chastity nudged her the way Minako would nudge Makoto sometimes. "but you should know first thatthat Sakurayou aren't really my birth daughter."

"WHAT?!"

"What?!" I gasped and Makoto yelled at the same time. I breathlessly added, "But if I'm not.who am I?"

"You shall see," Serenity said sadly. "I'm going to show you more of the past." White light flared again

__

I was floating alone in the stars. A palace, just floating in space, was drifting nearer. I was pulled into it as Serenity's voice echoed in my mind.

"Long ago, there were eleven queens of our solar system. There were the planetary queens, the moon queen, and the High Queen. The High Queen governed the entire solar system; but long ago a very wise queen decided it was too dangerous to place that much power in a single individual's hands. She gave up the throne forever, decreeing that no one person would have total control. But even though she had forsaken ruling, she and her descendants were still royalty; and the eldest daughter was always a Senshi to guard them, generation after generation. Because the High Queen had once ruled over the entire solar system, the Senshi of that line usually had the power of the Celestial body that ruled over the planets--the sun. One day, however, that changed."

I was now in a grand chamber, where the shrill cries of an infant split the air. Several women were gathered around a bed where another rested, sweat-covered and exhausted but happy nonetheless.

"She's beautiful, Yoake," a woman in a sailor Fuku said softly. I recognized her from my memories: she was my aunt Kage, the Senshi of Jupiter and my mother's older sister. Aunt Kage was the only Senshi who wasn't also a queen, because she'd had Queen Honesty for a younger sister. The rule was that the eldest daughter was the planet's Senshi no matter what; and if a younger sister wasn't born in the next five years after her birth, she would also become the heir to the throne.

"Queen Yoake had given birth to a daughter at the same time as Queen Honesty. Unlike Honesty, however, her husband had died a few months before."

"What will you name her?" Felicity inquired.

Yoake's eyes took on a distant cast as she said, "I think I'll name herSakura."

I watched, stunned, as Constance said, "There's something--different about her. I can't quite tell what it is, but she's different."

Suddenly, the walls collapsed as immense, roaring demons slowly oozed in. Yoake sat up and passed the infant to Joy, pressing something green and shining into her hand at the same time. "Run! It's Metallia!"

"What about you?" Charity demanded.

"I'm the strongest, I'll hold them off! You've got to save Sakura!"

"But--" Faith protested.

"We can't wait!" Constance said sharply, tears running down her face. "She's right! No matter what, Sakura's go to live!"

"Come on!" Felicity led the way as they dashed down the halls. Howls and crashes came from the room as they burst into open space. Chastity created a shield of sheer energy as they watched in horror. Dark power was surrounding the castle, and tentacles were reaching out for them. This was too much for anyone _to handle They were all going to die._

Not if Yoake had anything to say about it.

There was a spark of white light that flared in the midst of the darkness. Then a rumbling explosion blasted away the darkness, a burst of blinding white light. The palace dissolved into oblivion, along with the darkness.

"Yoake, NO!!!!!" Kage tried to break free of the shield, but Chastity and Hope held her back. They all knew what Yoake had done: Finality. She had used her own life force as a last resort. It meant she had killed herself in order to save them all. Anyone's life force was as destructive as an atom bomb; a queen's was ten thousand times so. The only sound was the thin wails of the baby, as if she knew she had just lost her mother forever.

"Come on," Constance said heavily, not looking at the pieces of rubble that drifted around them. "We've got to go to the Moon Palace."

Kage turned, tears rolling down her face. "Can I see her?" She whispered hoarsely. Joy carefully placed the crying girl in her arms. "So this is the new High Queen"

The scene shifted as Serenity's voice continued. "When they returned, they found Honesty a grieving mother--she had had a miscarriage and the baby had died. No one but for the other queens knew yet. Unless she had another daughter within a year, Makoto would be queen."

A council chamber was the setting. Nine queens sat around a table meant for eleven, with Serenity at the head once more. All were weary and red-eyed from mourning.

"So where will she go?" Faith asked. "One of us must take her."

"I'll raise her," Hope offered.

"No, I want her!" Chastity insisted.

"She will go to Honesty," Serenity said firmly. "She looks enough like Honesty and Raiu to pass as her second daughter. As far as any of us know, Sakura is her new daughter and the miscarriage never happened. Is that all right with you, Honesty?"

A new light shone in her eyes. "I--I will have Yoake's daughter?"

Serenity nodded. "There is yet more to discuss," she said. "Such as when to tell Sakura of her powers. Joy, what do you get from her?"

"She's different." Joy rubbed her forehead. "She's got more power than usual. And--and it's green. Not Jupiter green, but green."

"I sat we train her in it as soon as we can," Felicity said fiercely. "She--"

"No, Felicity." Serenity cut her off. "What kind of burden is that to place on a child? Would you have a toddler know that her family isn't truly hers, and that she has a power no one else has? Would you have anyone else know that? Children can be cruel. If they knew, they'd call her names. They'd say she was a freak. No one would play with her for fear of getting killed, even if it was the most ridiculous fear in the world. Is it right to do that to a child?

"No one is to breathe a word of this," she continued lowly. "No one gives her the slightest hint. If we find ourselves so deep in trouble that we need to call on her, then we'll be in more trouble than she could get us out of. When she is of age, we will tell her, then train her, and allow her to continue Yoake's line. But she is Honesty's daughter now, and so she shall remain. Sakura will be the next Queen of Jupiter, as is fitting. If there are any complaints, speak now or never."

Silence met her words; it was broken as Serenity nodded, then stood and walked out of the room, followed by the other eight queens. Then everything was fading

And I was back on the moon. There was stunned quiet as everyone digested the shock we'd just been given. I was the most amazed of all, and for a moment I wondered if life for me would ever be normal again. 

"Lady Sakura," Serenity called. My head shot up. Was the queen calling _me_ Lady? "We have more to tell you."

__

More?

"You wish to become the Warrior once more," Joy stated. "That is true, is it not?" I nodded. "Your power carries a unique property. It allows you to use it to the full extent when it is fueled by something. When it was unlocked, you fueled it with your anger at Akumu for killing Li. When you became the Warrior for the first time, it was fueled with your love." I blushed as she continued. "When you became the Warrior once more, it was fueled partly by your despair and partly by your fury. But since then your emotions have ceased to grow to the magnitude required to fuel your power. This is not a good situation; you must find a way to fuel it again."

"How?" I asked hopelessly. "I mean, Li can only die so many times!"

"We have another source," Honesty said, laughing softly at my comment. "Your crystal."

"My _what?_"

"Your Celestial crystal." At Serenity's words, the other queens nodded, and nine beams of light shot out from their foreheads, connecting directly above me. I noticed for the first time that I'd landed in the exact center of the circle. 

Something green and shining dropped out from the air a moment later. I caught it and yelped at the power radiating from it. It flared, then sank into the center of my chest. There was a small jolt of pain, but it was replaced by warmth as power surged in my blood.

"The crystal will enable you to become the Warrior at your will," Felicity said. "It gains power from your strongest emotions, and yours is love. It's a gift, and a burden. Never forget that your love is strength, and strength that you not only can use, but will need. Troubling times are ahead for you, Lady Sakura."

I nodded numbly as Chastity said, "Well, don't just stand there, transform! We want to see what the crystal does!"

I laughed, and shouted, "Celestial Crystal Power!" because it seemed like the right thing to say. My magic came back at full strength as the colors on my Fuku changed from just plain white to green and gold. My transformation wand/staff sprouted a miniature set of wings and gained a few intricacies, and I sighed. "Just when I was getting used to it, too."

"Whoa." Chibiusa looked awed. "She's the Warrior and a Senshi at the same time! FREAKY!"

"Now, the only way to the crystal is through you," Charity said with satisfaction. "If someone wants the crystal and you aren't giving it to them, they'll have to kill you to get it out."

__

I'm not that sure that's a good thing

"You are the Guardian of the Skies and Wielder of the Celestial Crystal now," Faith said solemnly. 

"Fare you well." Each queen nodded regally, and then we were falling again, but down instead of up, and with a thump we reappeared in King Penguin Park.

I started to de-transform, then realized I was back in my regular clothes and sat down on a nearby bench, hard. It was all so much to take in right now, all so overwhelming. I heard murmurs from the other senshi, reminding me of their presence; and I felt a surge of resentment. None of them had to deal with what I was going through right now; how could they understand?

__

Sakura? Li's voice echoed in my mind. _Are you okay?_

Yeah, I just can be the Warrior again, I sighed mentally. _Long story, I'll tell you later._

"Sakura?" Ami's concerned voice came from overhead. "Are you all right?"

I wanted to say no. In fact, I wanted to get up and walk far, far away, and not stop walking until all of this was behind me and I didn't have to deal with it. But I couldn't. "Uhyeah. I'm fine."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

[AN: Yet another POV change! Will the wonders never cease?]

3rd Person/Senshi

The senshi exchanged worried glances. They'd each gone through this, but for Sakura it was bound to be harder. After all, she had much more responsibility on her—it was her duty to make sure nothing harmed the world, but it was also her duty not to die. And that would be hard on anyone. 

And they had always had some kind of break between major battles or new enemies or just using magic, period, but for Sakura that hadn't happened. It had been magic nonstop for four years, and they could all tell it was taking a toll on her. 

But there was nothing they could do about it

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

[AN: A POV change AGAIN! I'm sensing a pattern here]

Li

I stared out the window, brooding. Something was bothering Sakura, I could tell; I wanted to know what it was and I wanted to know _now_. 

Sadly, that wasn't happening any time soon. Whatever it was, she was trying to hide it. I didn't know why, the Senshi didn't know why, Madison and the others didn't know why, and it was bothering the crap out of all of us.

Power surged in the park, its strength almost--no, _exactly_ equal to mine. Immediately on the defensive, I knew somehow it was Sakura and relaxed. _She's found a way to become the Warrior again,_ I realized. _Still, I should check in with her._

Sakura? Are you okay?

Yeah. Her 'voice' was almost tired, and I wondered again what it was that was bothering her. _I just can be the Warrior again. Long story, I'll tell you later. _There was almost a click as she shut off her own end of the line.

I sat down in a chair, worried as usual. Something was not right, but what was it?

The phone rang, and I picked it up. "Hello?"

"Li? It's Madison," she said hastily. "I was wondering if"

"If?"

"If you[AN: Would go on a date with me! Ha, ha, but NO.] Well, does Sakura seem _different_ to you?"

I sat up with interest. "Yeah, like something's really bothering her. Has she said anything to you?"

"No, she hasn't," she relied sadly. "But I--I think whatever it is, it's serious."

"That's for sure." I stood and went to the window, looking out over Readington. "I don't have the faintest clue what it is, though."

"Me neither." There was a pause as neither of us said anything. Then, she said softly, "I'm scared for her, Li. She isn't telling me anything, and that's part of what scares me. Back when you were dealing with the cards and Eriol, she'd tell me all about it--like which card she thought it was, or where, or what it was like to seal one. But now"

"She never says anything about her magic, or what she thinks," I finished grimly. "It's almost as if she's afraid."

"But of what?" Madison asked helplessly.

"I don't know," I said heavily. "And that's what bothers me most of all." Suddenly, there was a flare of power in the park again–the Dark Four were out. "I've got to go, they're at it again."

"The Dark Four?" Madison sighed sadly. "I still think there's gotta be a way to get her a battle costume for this"

I laughed ruefully. "Sorry, I haven't heard anything about that either. Let me know if she says _anything_ to you."

"I will." There was a click as she hung up, and I transitioned into the Warrior, teleporting to the park.

Sakura had already become the Celestial Warrior when I materialized, and sure enough, the Dark Four were attempting to attack them but failing against a tawny gold shield she was holding. Rei and Makoto were trying to hit them with fire and lightning, but the were moving too fast for them. _What they need is a distraction, _I thought quickly. "Earth, slow them." I shoved power at the ground under the four girls' feet and it turned to quicksand. Haruka got a loop of power around them and raised them into the air, then nodded.

"Moon Power!" Sakura and Usagi shot white and white-green power at them, encasing each in a sphere of silvery-green. 

"It isn't working!" Usagi yelled after a minute.

"Sakura!" Rei and her traded looks and nodded, raising an arm. "Mars Flame, banish the evil within them!" Orange-red power hit the white with a bang, and there was a silent explosion.

When the spots cleared from my eyes, I saw Tenshi, Arashi, Koori, and Hayashi sitting where the Dark Four had been. There was total silence as Yue landed nearby, followed by Kero.

Yue broke that, turning to Sakura. "Explain, Card Mistress."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Sakura [Time Warp--back to where she'd just landed from learning she wasn't really Makoto's sister]

"Sakura?"

I looked up, startled, as Arashi, Tenshi, Hayashi, and Koori walked up. "Yes?"

They threw curious glances at the Senshi around me but didn't comment. "Can we talk to you for a sec?" Arashi asked quickly.

"Sure." I stood up. "I'll be right back, guys."

We walked to a table and sat down. There was an awkward moment of silence; then Hayashi said softly, "We need your help."

"With what?" I asked, puzzled.

They traded glances, and Tenshi whispered to Koori, "Are you sure Hylene was right?" 

__

Hylene?

She nodded, and Arashi said, "Wewe each have something inside us, and we can't control it. It's likelike an evil spirit or something, and they can take over us whenever they want. I think it's because we've got some kind of power, but instead of us using it, _it_ uses _us._ As far as we know, that's why the spirits are inside us, so that they can use the power because _they_ know how to. We don't really know how they got there—we just woke up one day and they were there, and we were all together. None of us knows how we got there, or what had happened that day either."

I sat there, stunned. They'd just dropped the answer we'd been looking for the past eight months into my lap. But what if they hadn't? "Are these spiritscalled the Dark Four?" I asked tentatively.

"Um" Arashi frowned quizzically at me. "But how did you know?"

"I'm—" I broke off as Koori stiffened, a mask suddenly appearing on her face.

"They're coming! Get out of here!" Arashi urged.

I ignored her and pulled out my communicator. "I need help! They're here!" There was a jumbled response as I transformed and faced the Dark Four.

"We meet again, Sailor Sky," Kaze crooned.

"Yes, but this time, she really roasts," Kaji added happily. "Just like a coffee bean." She held up a flaming hand, but the mask and weird outfit flickered as she flinched. "Go away, brat!" she snarled to herself. "_I'm _in control now!"

__

Arashi must be fighting her, I realized. "It's working!" I yelled, praying my friends could hear me. "Keep fighting them!"

For a minute, it looked like they actually might win. Then dark columns of power thundered down around each of them, and their eyes turned completely black as I cringed. The Senshi ran up behind me and I threw a shield up around us, feeling the power surge in me. Li landed in a blur of silver-white, then saw right away what we needed and slowed them down enough that Haruka could snare them. Usagi and I both shot sheer lunar energy at the four, but the purifying magic wasn't working.

"Sakura!" Rei and I exchanged looks and I nodded, knowing exactly what she meant without her having to say it. Scarlet power slammed into the white-green, and there was a silent explosion. [AN: Jams to Enya's 'Only Time':: it's 1:08 in the morning and I'm wide awake! Who needs caffeine when you've gotwell, when you're me?] I was nearly knocked to the ground by the blast of wind. Blinking, I saw my four bewildered friends sitting on the ground.

Then Yue and Kero landed nearby. "Explain, Card Mistress," Yue said dryly.

"Well"I took a deep breath.

"No! Wait! Let someone else explain or she'll go off like that again!" Makoto clapped a hand over my mouth. 

Usagi walked over to us, smiling brightly. "They're four new senshi," she said, looking as though that should explain everything. 

"And they had evil spirits forcing them to attack us inside of them," Makoto added. "But not any more."

"Oh." He crossed his arms. "I see."

Luna trotted over to them, the crescent moon on her forehead glowing. Sitting herself in front of the gaping girls, she switched her tail and a symbol appeared on each of their foreheads. After a moment, they faded.

"HOOOLLLLYYYYYY SHHHHIIIII--I mean, uh, Holy Shift. Holy Shiitakes." Arashi rubbed her forehead wearily. "Damn"

"Omigod, omigod, I'm a friggin' _Senshi!!!!_" Tenshi squeaked.

"No, you think?" Arashi asked sarcastically, catching the transformation wand that fell in front of her, as did her friends.

"_Arashi,_" Hayashi chastised wearily, adding quickly, "Nobody panic. At least we've got our memories back."

"Yeah." Suddenly, Koori sat up with a gasp. "I remember what happened when _they_ came!"

"Me too!" Tenshi exclaimed.

I de-transformed with a sigh and strode over, extending a hand. "Welcome to the team." Helping them get to their feet, I asked, "So how'd you end up with them?"

"Long story," Arashi said ruefully.

"We've got time." I shrugged amiably.

It turned out they'd all run away from an abusive foster home, and when they'd been about to split up, their powers had manifested.

"There was fire all around me," Arashi explained. "But for the others, it was water, stone, and wind."

"And then this one guy captured us, and he put us in this dungeon for a _week!_ A whole week! And then he shoved those _things_ into us!" Tenshi added, her face pink in outrage.

"Sounds like Akumu," Li muttered to me. "Could it be him?"

"No," I whispered back. "I made him as dead as I could without dragging him to the gates of hell myself. After all, he killed you."

He smiled wryly as Setsuna asked, "What's his name?"

"Umm" Everyone looked at Koori, and she closed her eyes. An icy blue aura flared around her, then faded. When she opened them, they were still a blue to match her aura. "Rakutan. His name is Rakutan. He's from the future."

"Who is he after?"

"Sakura," she replied in the same, dead-toned voice. "He wants to kill her."

"What is his connection to her?"

There was a pause, and a darker, deeper flare of power. She was using a heavy-duty divination spell, that was for sure. 

"Hei Long," she said finally. "Ryu was his daughter."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Li

"Wow," Chibiusa said. "I never saw him."

I glanced at Sakura and saw she was closing her eyes, hiding her emotions once again. The more she did it, the more I worried about her. Since when did she keep secrets from us? Whatever it was bothering her, it had to be serious

I looked up and saw Makoto watching me. She pointedly looked over at Sakura, then mouthed, 'What's wrong?'

I shrugged helplessly. Being unable to do anything but watch her in pain was driving me crazy.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Sakura

"Look out!" 

I dodged a fireball, then whipped out my communicator as people shrieked and fled away from the smoking remains of the bridge. "I'm at the park, and I need help," I yelled into it.

There was no response, and I saw the crack running down it for the first time. It had been broken somehow since the last time I'd used it. _Damn. They might sense this, but I don't know_

I transformed, then used the crystal and became the Warrior. _Rakutan's going to pay for this one_

I flew out from the bushes, pissed as hell. "You want me, Rakutan?" Landing on the slide, I pointed my staff at the dark blur overhead and got ready to send an attack spell at him. "Come and get me!"

There was no response other than a cold, cruel laugh, and I shot my strongest attack at him. 

It bounced off a shield and dissolved into the night harmlessly.

I gasped, then tried another one and another. None of them worked. "No!"

Could he be _stronger_ than me? But how?

I didn't get time to think about that as dozens of sharp, knifelike shards of dark power rained out of the vortex Rakutan was attacking me through, then shot at me. I threw a shield up, and most were shattering on it--but it wouldn't last much longer.

Then another shower of dark power fell, and the shield wasn't going to hold up much longer

I flew up trying to get away from the shards, but the followed me. One flicked past, grazing my cheek, and a long, shallow gash opened on my cheek. I flinched in surprise, then accidentally let the shield go. "Mars Flame Sniper!" Flames shot from my palms, but the shadowy knives only plunged through. I hastily put up another shield, but it wasn't even going to last as long as the first one. _There has to be a way out of this_

"Water!" It knocked some out of the way as I looked down and saw Li. _He's always there for me,_ I thought with a touch of guilt. _And he's always the one who gets hurt._

There was no time to think about that now, though, because he'd caught Rakutan's interest, and that wasn't good.

The next wave of dark blades split, half aimed at me and half aimed at him. He managed to get most of his, and I handled mine with relative ease, now that I knew their weakness was water, but one got past Li and hurtled itself at him, its impact making him stumble back.

"Li!" I flew down as he straightened, his face lined in pain, and saw the blade lodged in his shoulder. "Hold on." Furious, I dissolved the dark power with a controlled burst of Saturn power, then concentrated on healing the wound. It wasn't easy; those knife-spells had been designed for one purpose only: to kill. That meant not only was it poisonous, but the spell was long-lasting. I narrowed my eyes and gritted my teeth, determined to not let Rakutan take Li from me. He was _not_ going to die from a spell like this. 

In a moment, the poison was handled and the wound started healing. I put my strongest magic into it, not noticing I was draining myself.

Finally, it was as healed as I could make it. "Done," I said, pushing sweaty hair out of my eyes. Then, everything seemed to waver as I noticed vaguely that I was de-transforming even though I hadn't tried to, and it was all going black

I woke in my own bed and saw my protection sphere hovering near me. Feeling a headache coming on, I hurriedly stumbled to the bathroom and took an Advil, then got back into bed. The clock by my bed read 1:24 am, so I went back to sleep.

Sunlight streamed in through the windows, heralding my return to consciousness, and I sat up. Kero was snoring on the desk, and I didn't sense neither Dad's presence nor Tori's. Picking up my clock, I saw it was about noon and yawned. It felt way too early for eleven fifty

Then the previous day's occurrences came back to me and I leaned back against the pillows wearily. The situation wasn't fair by any means–Li was always getting hurt, along with everyone else, but not me. Worse, it always happened when they were helping me. And that was driving me insane–but what could I do about it? Throw a containing spell around them so I could get hurt? _Har, har. They'd strangle me the minute I let them go._

There had to be another solutionbut what?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Li

I stretched out on the couch, trying to make myself comfortable and failing. It wasn't because of the couch; it was because of what–or more accurately, _who_–I was thinking of. The early afternoon was calm and relaxed; exactly what I was not.

~@~@~ Flashback ~@~@~

__

"Class dismissed."

There was the usual chaotic noise as everyone in the room stood, gathering their books and chattering their heads off. Everyone, that is, except for Sakura.

"Sakura?" I tapped her on the shoulder gently as she sat up, startled. Her eyes lost the sorrowful, distant look.

"What–oh, is it time to go?"

"Yeah," I said distractedly. What had she been thinking of?

We walked out together, both headed to Biology, and there was an unusual silence as she stared at her books like they'd show her what she wanted to see if she looked long enough. There was that look again–the strange, worried look that was perturbing me and so many others.

"Sakura, wait a sec." I stopped and faced her, putting a hand on either of her shoulders. "You know, if there's anything you ever want to talk about, you can always come to me."

She blinked, opened her mouth, then shut it again and said after a minute, "I know." The closed mask she'd been using too often for my comfort sealed her face once more. "If there's a problem, I'll tell you."

~@~@~ End Flashback ~@~@~

__

What s it? What's bothering her? My fist slammed into the table nearby in frustration.

__

Snap!

With a sigh, I fixed the broken leg with a bit of magic. _Maybe I should just find one that's a little less cheap Or practice on things that are meant to be practiced on, not tables._

But who could blame me? The girl who was just about my sole reason for living was stressing over something that had to be bothering her pretty badly, but she wouldn't tell anyone, and something like that tended to make me more than irritated.

__

Why? Why won't she talk to any of us? I wondered hopelessly.

__

Ring!

I was tempted to throw the phone into the wall. Picking it up instead, I muttered sullenly, "Hello."

"Li, we've got a big problem," Madison said urgently, her voice cracking in the transmission. I could tell she was using her cell phone. "Sakura's _gone!_"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Uh ohbad things are happening How could they not? I mean, honestly, _Sakura's_ gone! Sakura's _gone!_

.

But where?

That's a good question, folksI can't say anything but.

ADIOSITY! HA HAAA HAAAAAAAAA!

I know, I'm evil. Ain't it fun?


	4. Life Sucks for Sakura

Beyond the Warrior

Beyond the Warrior

Chapter Four: Life Sucks for Sakura

Okay, admit it. You hate me. You guys hate me, cuz I just made Sakura leave for almost no apparent reason. I LOVE IT! Heehee I know, I'm evil. AND NOT A SINGLE ONE OF YOU HAS ARGUED THAT IN YOUR REVIEWS! So you probably want me to get the chapter going, no?  
Yada yada yada, I don't own this, etc. The song lyrics belong to Dido. And the song is kickass! KICKASS! I LOVE DIDO'S SONGS! In case you're wondering, the lyrics are from her song Here With Me,' on the album "No Angel" which is also kickass!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

__

Ring!

I was tempted to throw the phone into the wall. Picking it up instead, I muttered sullenly, "Hello."

"Li, we've got a big problem," Madison said urgently, her voice cracking in the transmission. I could tell she was using her cell phone. "Sakura's gone!"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"What?!" I sat bolt upright. "What do you mean, she's gone?!"

"She wasn't at home when I called her, and none of the Senshi can sense her _anywhere_ in Readington!" she said frantically. "I'm going over to her house to see if there's anything there that might tell us where she is."  
"Hold on," I ordered tersely, grabbing my jacket from the wall. "I'll be right there. Get the Senshi." 

"They're on their way," she said quickly. There was a click as the cell phone went out of range. I hit the button on the mobile phone and it fell to the ground with a crack as I teleported to Sakura's house. _How the hell can she be gone?_

There was nothing to tell us where she was. Not a single thing was out of place; not a single scratch on the walls to indicate a fight.

She'd run away.

I sat down hard on a chair in the kitchen, stunned. Why? Why had Sakura left?

More importantly, _how?_

The only noise in the kitchen was a tapping as Ami rapidly worked on her hand-held computer, trying to locate her. She'd been at it for about fifteen minutes when the clatter stopped. I looked up in time to see her put away the visor and stare at the screen, hopeless.

"Anything?" I asked quietly.

"She's using a shield I taught her," she said hoarsely. "It hides you from detection as long as you don't use any other magic. That's all I know."

"Can't you locate that spell?" Makoto asked desperately. "You've _got_ to find her!"

"She's doing the best she can," Tori said heavily.

It was all too much for me. How could Sakura be gone? She was only fourteen. She hadn't been alone in the world before–it would eat her alive. And if Rakutan attacked, I wouldn't be there for her.

But none of those thoughts were going to bring her back. If only I had _one_ clue where she was, one hint

But I didn't. 

Sakura was gone. 

And she hadn't even said goodbye.

Everything seemed to fade away. Sakura was gone. I saw everyone moving around the room, but every noise seemed faraway and slow, like I was surrounded in a wall of glass. The real world just seemed to fade away.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Sakura

I stared out the window bleakly. There was a rumble underneath me as the bus engine roared to life. A lurch signaled the start of my journey; the familiar scenery fell behind as we rolled down the street. I was leaving Readington behind.

A tear rolled down my face, then another. I scrubbed at my cheek, trying to hide it, and looked stolidly outside once more. _Goodbye, LiI wish I could have said it to your face, but you would have come after me, and that can't happen._

A strand of hair tickled my shoulders, and I sorrowfully pushed it behind my ear again. I'd been able to use an illusion to make me look older, but my hair would have been a dead giveaway if anyone had come after me, so I'd cropped it to shoulder length once more. The downside was that it already was longer by a centimeter. I'd have to keep it trimmed until I was far, far away from home.

If you had seen me right then, you would have found a young woman of about twenty, staring out the window. A navy business suit added a few years of maturity, along with a pair of rectangular, narrow, rimless glasses perched across my eyes. My hair was just brushing my shoulders, looking like Nikki's but only longer. With any luck, no one would recognize me.

Ami hadn't known everything about the shield she'd taught. I'd found that I could hold _one_ spell and the shield at the same time, and I wouldn't be detected. No more, or it wouldn't mask me all the way. And so I'd made myself look older–after all, no one would hire a fourteen-year-old, but plenty would hire a twenty-something.

I was scared as the bus took me further and further from the home I'd known for so long. I'd never been alone in the world before–the DreamWorld, yes, but not ours. 

And I was already missing Li.

But I didn't dare go back. The whole point of this was to draw Rakutan away from Readington, so that no one else would get hurt because of me.

And so, until I'd found a way to defeat him, I wouldn't return.

It might mean I ran away for all of my life. But if it kept the people I loved safe, I would do it. Until he was gone, I wouldn't go back.

Until he was gone–or I was.

I stopped in a small town for the night, drawing money for my hotel room from a small account I had. It wouldn't last long, but it would keep me until I got a job. 

The next morning, I got on another bus, and it carried me north another fifty miles, to an even smaller town. I got an apartment and started looking for a job. After a few days' search, I got one as a secretary. It meant that I had to create a resume, though, so I had to let go of the age illusion for a moment and make a good one. Still, no one saw.

Work was hard. My boss wasn't that nice of a man, but my co-workers were okay. Okay as in that my lunch was stolen only a few times.

I was starting to settle into my new life when Rakutan attacked.

It had been a few months; as though it was compensation for dealing with the jackass of a boss I had, my paycheck was very generous and I'd managed to put away a satisfying amount in the good old bank account. My neighbors were beginning to socialize with me. I'd made a few friends.

Of course, to them I was Irika Kokura. It had taken a lot of power, but I'd managed to create a whole life for her. She was an English major, born in Nara City on the fifteenth of June, 1972. There was a birth certificate, a checking account, a social security numbereverything. And I was her.

And so, Irika/I was headed to another day of slaving for my boss when screams came from the town square and magic flared. I stopped, knowing what had happened, then ducked into a nearby alley and transformed, letting go of the illusion and the masking shield. My hair immediately re-grew, but I ignored it as I flew out, headed towards the park.

Rakutan had dumped a huge, hideous monster into the duck pond near the park. I wasn't mad enough to use my Saturn power, and that was the only thing that could take it out quick and cleanlyor was it?

"Erase Card!" Maybe, just maybe it would work

The Jester Spirit danced out and waved its cloak over the demon, and it vanished. I returned it, thinking. Rakutan hadn't made it resistant to the Cards, but why? Didn't he know I had them?

That didn't matter, though. What mattered was that he'd found me.

I was on the bus in an hour.

This time, I took another route–and a lot of risks. I cut my hair again, this time to chin-length. I didn't think Li or anyone else could sense a flare of magic like the one the monster had caused from fifty miles away, but even so, the news crews would be swarming all over the wreckage in fifteen minutes anyway, so I recklessly used all the magic I dared to. I made a few, large deposits of sun-created money into Irika's account, shrank and packed my clothes, restored the illusion, adjusted my driver's license and other photo I.D. pictures, paid the rent with more created money, and sealed myself back into the masking shield once more. 

I also bought colored contacts, a curling iron and black hair dye before I left, and used them. I would need them, because the only bus going to the city I wanted to go to left from Readington. 

My heart was in my throat the entire trip back. According to the schedule, I had half an hour between bus rides–half an hour in Readington. For thirty minutes, I had to make sure that not only did no one sense me, but that I didn't see Li or any of the Senshi. It was riskybut a chance I'd have to take.

The minute I got off the bus, I settled myself in the shelter and took out my book. Maybe, if I was really lucky, nobody I knew would come pastjust for safety, I tightened my shield–

Then gasped as a _very_ familiar aura came into my range. No, _three_ auras.

__

This can't be happening! Would they recognize me, even with all the efforts I had gone through to ensure otherwise?

I yanked a hat out of my suitcase and jammed it on, then put on a pair of sunglasses just as Usagi, Makoto, and Sora walked past. None of them looked very happy, but Makoto looked awful, like she hadn't slept for a month.

I swallowed a lump in my throat, then tried to turn my attention back to the book, but I couldn't really concentrate after that.

The bus left me in another town. I checked into a hotel for a few days, but then Rakutan attacked again and I hit the road.

I got an apartment in the next town, and found a job as a waitress in a local diner within a few days. 

My first day of work was Monday. I arrived on time, put on my apron, and waited for customers.

After a few minutes, a group of greasy, fat, nasty-looking men walked in and sat down at a table. I picked up some menus and went over. "Hi, my name is Irika and I'll be your server today. Can I get you something to drink?"

"Not right now," one said thoughtfully. "But I do have a question."

"Sure, I'll do my best to answer it," I said cheerfully, not suspecting a thing.

"Do I look like a unicorn to you?"

"Umm" I said slowly. "Why?"

"Because damn, babe, but you make me horny."

I swallowed and fled as his friends roared with laughter. 

The manager merely shrugged when I told him and said, "Tough."

I went outside as another waitress took their orders and leaned heavily against the wall. _Li would have killed that–that jackass,_ I thought shakily. 

__

But Li isn't here, that nasty voice reminded me. 

And it was all too true.

It was almost a relief when Rakutan attacked me two weeks later, and I had to leave again.

A month passed, then two, as I lived like a nomad on steroids. The longest I stayed in a town was a week until Rakutan found me, and it had taken a day and a half to get there on the bus.

My next destination was a big city. I figured it would throw him off, because so far I had stuck to small towns. At this point, I'd created enough money and deposited it into my account that I would be able to stay at just about _any_ hotel for at least a month, so I checked into the Blue Phoenix Inn. It was big, nice, and on my budget. 

As soon as I got to my room, I dropped the luggage, put on a bathing suit, and went for a swim because I needed it. The water was just the right temperature–slightly cooler than room temperature–and for a moment, I just floated in it, road-worn. _I want to go home God, I miss Li. I wish he was with meI need him._

But if he was here, he could get hurt.

I forced the lump that had been rising in my throat back down. Crying wouldn't help anything right now.

After two weeks, it seemed Rakutan wouldn't be finding me for a while, so on Monday I started looking for a job and an apartment.

Of course, on Monday, it was raining.

It always rained on Mondays.

I stared at the sidewalk as I walked along, huddled in my raincoat, the umbrella poised over my head. I had a bunch of papers tucked under my arm, but I didn't want to look at them now because they might get wet in the rain.

__

Splash! 

A car drove by, and the miniature tsunami it caused by driving through a nearby puddle drenched me from the knees down.

__

Damn it

By now, I'd given up trying to change my appearance, because it always went back to normal each time I transformed. Instead, I settled with masking my eyes with a pair of sunglasses and twisting my hair up in a bun.

__

Drip. Drip. Drip.

A raindrop fell from the edge of my umbrella and onto my already-soaked jeans, and I sighed in resignation. At least the hotel wasn't too far away

I turned in the door, lowering my umbrella and shaking the water off it, then closing it and tucking it under my arms. _Sowhich apartment looks good?_ I started leafing through the flyers, walking slowly through the lobby.

__

Wham!

I was knocked onto my rump by the sudden collision, and the papers scattered all over the lobby.

"Sorry." The other person picked themselves up without another word and dashed off before I could even see if they were a boy or a girl. It had sounded like a guy, though.

"Oh, crap." I started picking up my flyers. "Didn't even help me pick them upwhat a jackass, honestly" Still grumbling, I stalked into the elevator, then realized my glasses were still on and pulled them off. Something told me I wouldn't be coming across anyone I knew.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Li

Rain poured down the window as I stared bleakly out of it. Five months–five moths, and no word. 

__

I didn't hear you leave

I wonder how am I still here

And I don't want to move a thing

It might change my memory

There were a few varied reactions to Sakura's disappearance. Makoto's was depression, along with Tori's, Yue's, Kero's, and Madison's. The rest of the Senshi were just plain worried about her. Chelsea, Rita, and Nikki were scared and confused, but I was all of the above. Depression didn't even begin to describe what I felt.

__

Oh I am what I am

I do what I want

But I can't hide

I won't go 

I won't sleep

I can't breathe

Until you're resting here with me

I won't leave

I can't hide

I cannot be

Until you're resting here with me

What if she went out at night and got mugged?

Or kidnapped?

Or, worst of all, raped? It wasn't something I wanted to think about, but the reality was if she was out and alone, there was more than a chance of it happening.

And a million questions ran through my head. Why hadn't she talked to any of us? What was it that made her run away? 

Why couldn't she come to me?

__

I don't want to call my friends

They might wake me from this dream

And I can't leave this place

I turned the corner, on my way to the grocery store. Even with her gone, I couldn't starve myself to death, much as I wished I could have. The only problems with that were that I wouldn't be around if she came back, and if she needed me again I wouldn't be there.

I knew she wasn't dead–but that was it. Something inside told me that if she was dead, I'd know; and I didn't doubt it.

So I knew she was alive. And that was it. 

__

I won't go

I won't sleep

I can't breathe

Until you're resting here with me

And I won't leave

I can't hide

I cannot be

Until you're resting here with me

The harsh lights overhead temporarily blinded me as I walked into the store. It didn't take me long to find what I needed.

I scanned the tabloids, waiting in line. If nothing else, they provided at least a little entertainment–or at least, the headlines did. _President Bush has affair with Siamese OrangutanQueen Elizabeth admits to arsonAngelina Jolie's obesity exposedSailor Angel saves town_

__

Sailor Angel saves town?

Frowning, I pulled that one out of its rack and looked at the picture beside the caption. There was a blurry, demonic-looking monster in the background, and it was being held off by a green-and-gold figure.

With long, ginger hair and a staff.

Sakura.

I drew a harsh breath, feeling the blood drain from my face.

"Sir?"

I looked up to see the clerk staring at me, puzzled. "Are you all right, sir?"

"Fine," I said shortly. He shrugged and started scanning the food across, moving far to slowly as I waited, knowing that if I opened the tabloid here I wouldn't be able to put it down again.

Finally, he finished, and I grabbed the bag, paid, and darted outside. The article said the town had been about three hundred miles from here, and she had vanished afterwards, but it was enough. 

I was on the bus headed there in less than an hour.

Ami had sealed me in the same shield Sakura was using. If Sakura had sensed me nearby, she would have jus ran away to somewhere else again, and that wouldn't do any good. So I had to stay just as hidden as she was.

I got to the town just after ten at night. The next morning, I felt a power surge fifty miles north, and got on the bus there. Sure enough, when I arrived, the town square was trashed and I could feel magic in the air. I got a bus schedule and quickly found the destination of the last one that had left–another small town. She probably wouldn't stay there, though. I'd have to guess where she was.

Three and a half weeks later had me checking into the Blue Phoenix Inn. It was big and expensive, but the Clan had plenty of funding. Even if I'd used ten thousand dollars a day, they wouldn't have noticed.

Rain had followed me everywhere, it seemed, but that might have been my mood. I had been able to _follow_ Sakura, but somehow she had managed to keep herself hidden, even when we'd been in the same town. More than once, I'd sensed a battle nearby, but always had come too late to see her. 

Something told me Rakutan knew I was after her. He might have had a role in that.

Maybe that was why I was always too far away from the battle to be there before it ended–and she was gone.

But I had always managed to follow her.

I had to admit, this new city was a good choice on her part. So far, she'd only stayed in small towns, but in a big city, she could easily hide among the thousands of other people.

Which made my job much harder.

And it also meant that she was in much more danger. Small towns were quiet and relatively safe–but cities were not.

I slid the card-key into the slot, then turned the door handle, and went inside. 

__

Beep! Beep! Beep!

"Are you there?" Ami's voice came from the pager in my pocket. 

"Yeah, I'm here," I said, dropping my bags onto the ground with a thud and pulling it out. "The shield's holding up."

"Good. Now listen, Li. This is a big city. There's going to be a lot of people out there, so the playing field has just gotten a lot larger."

"I know," I said, hanging up my jacket. 

"I thought so. Did you find out who's been checking into the hotels?"

She was referring to an idea I'd had. Every town I'd gone to, I'd checked the hotel guest books and written down any names that had come up in more than one hotel. "Yeah. There's an Irika Kokura that's signed a guest book in each town so far, and she's the only one."

"Okay, then that's gotta be her." There was a faint tapping noise as Ami entered the name in her computer. It was followed by a low whistle. "Sakura's better than we thought. She's got a driver's license, birth certificate, everything. I tapped into the public records, and she's there."

"Could we have the wrong person?" I asked.

"No, because there's one thing that gives her away." 

"What?"

"There's no tax records. She isn't on the list there, and there's a spell to make them forget about her."

"So she exists in everything but the taxes." I grinned ruefully. "That's pretty tricky. I didn't know she had it in her."

"Me neither. I'll see what I can find on her in the city records there." More tapping; then she added, "Nothing. But it's still pretty early in the game. Keep an eye out."

"Okay. I'm going to go check the guest lists around the city."

"Good. Let me know if she comes up."

"I will." There was a beep as the pager shut off and I set it down on the table. I _was_ going to check the guest lists, but after I had a chance to rest.

I ended up spending the rest of the week in the Blue Phoenix Inn, along with all of the next. On Monday, Ami got a lead, and I was on my way out when I bumped into someone. Papers fell all over the lobby, and I would have stopped to help them pick them up, but I couldn't afford to wait, so I barked out a quick "Sorry" and dashed away. 

It turned out she was looking for an apartment here, but that was the only news we got all week. I stayed in the hotel.

It was a cloudy afternoon on Tuesday, the 20th of December, as I walked down the street. _How ironic,_ I thought. _Four days to Christmas, and yet no sign we're getting what we want._

Lights and decorations made the street a gaudy wonderland as I slowly paced down the sidewalk. _At least we're closer to finding her_

The bells hanging from the door to a coffee shop tinkled as I pushed it open. Warm air rushed out towards me, and I sat down at an empty table, picking up a newspaper and a menu.

After a few minutes, a waitress came up. "W-what will it b-be for y-you today, s-sir?"

"Hot chocolate and a croissant," I replied absentmindedly, staring at the table top. 

"O-okay, that'll b-be right out," she said, snatching up the menu and scurrying away. It wasn't until after she'd gone that I realized she had been wearing sunglasses, despite the fact that it was December. _Odd_ Well, some people had their quirks.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Sakura

__

Oh my god. This is not happening

"What's the matter with you, Irika?" Sagami frowned at me. "You look like you've seen a ghost."

"Can I borrow your sunglasses?" I asked weakly. 

"Why?" She followed my gaze to where Li was sitting. "Is he an ex or something?"

"Yeah," I said quickly. "Yeah, it's kinda like that."

"Okay." She handed me the shades, and I slipped them on. "Now go take his order."

"But–"  
"But nothing. If you talk kinda funny, he won't know it's you."

"But"

"Go!" She shoved the pen and paper into my hands. "You and me are the only ones here, and I have to stay at the cash register!"

I felt sure my heart was audibly pounding as I nervously approached him. "W-what will it b-be for y-you today, s-sir?" I stammered, dropping my voice an octave and not daring to look at him.

"Hot chocolate and a croissant," he said, sounding like he wasn't even paying that much attention. _Thank god for that._

"O-okay, that'll b-be right out," I said, seizing his menu and all but sprinting away.

"See? That wasn't so hard," Sagami said reassuringly.

"You have no idea," I said dryly.

__

Sakura, where are you?

I nearly choked as his mental voice rang through my head. _Oh my god_

"Here, go give it to him."

"_What?!_" I squawked. 

"Go!" She crossed her arms and glared at me. "If you don't, _I'll_ go. I _want_ to talk to him, honestly. For the love of mike, he's _hot!_"

This time I _did_ choke. "All right!" I wheezed, trying to keep myself from strangling her. "All right!" I yanked the plate and mug out of her hands, quickly walked over to Li, dropped them in front of him, chirped, "Anything else for you?" and at the shake of his head said, "Okay, then!" then walked back to the counter, realizing what an idiot I'd just made of myself.

That night, I got back to the hotel and went straight to my room, more than ready for a nap. _347here._ I slid my card-key into the lock and opened the door. The brass _353_ on the outside flashed in the hall light as I went inside. There was a thud as my purse landed on the ground; my jacket went on the hook and I flopped down on my bed, ready to go insane. _What the hell is Li doing here?_

Simple: he was looking for me.

__

But what am I going to do?

It was a big city. I could hide easily here. 

Even Rakutan hadn't found me yet. And that said a lot.

So I could hide from Li too.

__

Two men after me, I thought wearily. _Madison would blow a gasket._

I tried to fall asleep, but I couldn't, even though I was exhausted. The hallway was noisy right then–doors opening and closing, people going up and down, shrieking children running around.

I stared at the ceiling blankly. Li had looked soso depressed. [AN: Gee, wonder why] It hurt me to see him like that.

Although, Sagami had had a point. He was still really, really hot. 

I had always felt bad about not sending him anything for his birthday. He was fifteen now, and he'd grown in the five and a half months we'd been apart.

And I was missing him more each day. Seeing him today had only made it worse–like a mirage of water in the desert. Part of me wanted to go find him and finally have this nightmare over, but the other part said if I went to him, then I'd have to go back and people could be hurt because I was there again.

Andmy new life was relatively normal. If I went back, I'd return to the pain and hardships of being the Warrior. I didn't even have normal friends in Readington any more. They all either knew I was a superhero or were senshi themselves; but here, I had normal friends, people who liked me.

I wasn't famous. I was just a regular girl.

__

But you don't have Li, that annoying voice reminded me. 

__

That's the way it has to be, I thought back at it. _That way no one gets hurt._

Crash!

Bang!

I squinted at the door, wondering what the hell was happening outside.

"WAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!"

There was no way I was getting a nap right now

Scowling, I sat up. _Maybe if I get a coffee, I'll wake up enough to go for dinner._

That sounded good. I pulled on a sweater–it wasn't raining today–and swung my purse over my shoulder, then left.

There was so sign of Li for the next few days, but instead of comforting me, it only made me feel lonelier. _Maybe he's given up on me_

I got Christmas Eve day off, so I spent it window shopping. The overall brightness only depressed me more, because I wasn't sharing it with him. In fact, the only clue I got that he hadn't given up was a small flicker of magic somewhere within the city. 

At the end of the day, I went back to the richly-decorated hotel. Lights were strung _everywhere,_ and a Santa waved at passers-by, his eight regular reindeer beside him. Rudolph was in the front, his red nose shining brightly.

I glared at the cheerful display, then stalked inside.

Even the lobby was decked with holly, evergreens, oversized candy canes, and ludicrous, porky cherubim. I nearly threw up from the sugary-ness of it all.

There was a problem with the elevators. Irate, I set my purse down and waited for them to start up again, but when they didn't open after fifteen minutes, I got up and climbed the three flights of stairs to my room. Upon finding myself at the door, I realized my purse was still in the pseudo-Winter Wonderland of a lobby and, exasperated, went back down the stairs and picked it up, clambered up the steps, then staggered out onto the third floor to find that the elevators were working again. I was too pissed off to even speak as I let myself into my room.

The first thing I did was take a nice, long, hot bath. It helped a lot. 

Going outside as soon as I'd gotten dressed in the hopes of getting some hot cocoa from the café downstairs sounded good, so I walked outside.

And found Li coming out of the room across from mine. [AN: Oh, now that isn't good]

It was all I could do to blindly fumble for the door handle behind me, unable to tear my eyes from him. Seeing that, he scowled fiercely, seized my wrist, and dragged me into his room. He didn't let go as the door slammed shut. "I've got just one question, Sakura," he said lowly, his voice rough. I was all too aware of his hands now locked around my shoulders. "_Why?"_

"I–I–" I stuttered, unsure of what to say. This most definitely had _not_ been in my game plan. "I wasconfusing Rakutan, and" I trailed off.

"Bullshit," he said flatly. [AN: I love that line!] "Why did you go, Sakura? And why didn't you talk to any of us?"

I didn't know what to say. "I"

"You what?" he demanded when I didn't continue. "At least tell me why you went, because it doesn't look like you're saying anything else."

__

Ouch.

That hurt. "Let me go!" I tried to pull away, but his grip only tightened.

"If I let go, you're just going to run away again," he said harshly. "Do you have any idea how scared everyone's been for the past six months? We all thought you were going to get mugged, or kidnapped, or god knows what!"

"Well, I didn't!" I retorted. "I can manage myself!"

"But you _didn't_ manage anything, Sakura! You just ran away!" His face was so close to mine as he asked, "_Why?"_

I couldn't speak, fighting an internal battle. _Don't tell him!_ part of me argued. _He won't understand!_

What if he does? another voice inside said. _What if he knows what it's like?_

He **can't** understand! No one understands!

You don't know that for sure! Tell him, Sakura. Tell him or you're going to regret it.

But what if he doesn't get it? _What if he just thinks I'm being stupid?_

He loves you, Sakura. He'd never think you're stupid. _If you don't have faith in yourself, at least have faith in him._

I stared at the floor. "Ibecause everyone gets hurt because of me," I confessed. "It's my fault."

"No it isn't," he said firmly.

"Yes it is!" I insisted, now looking him in the eye. "It happened in the DreamWorld and it's happening here! You've been hurt, the Senshi have been hurt, and innocent people get hurt because Rakutan's after me! I couldn't just sit there and watch you kill yourselves so I don't get a damn scratch! And even if I die from him chasing me, then he'll leave you all alone because I'll be dead and that's what he wants!"

"But you can't do that, Sakura!" He looked sad and angry and frustrated all at once. "You're the Celestial Warrior! We have to keep you from getting killed because you're the only one who can bring people back to life!"

I had a flashback of a conversation with Makoto shortly after I'd become Sailor Sky. 

__

"I see your point." Makoto sighed. "Usagi went through almost the exact same thing."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, no matter what, people are going to protect you, Sakura. You're important. There are only two Warriors, and you're the one who can use the Life and Death Cards. If Li goes, you can bring him back. But if you go, he's stuck. And unless I'm much mistaken, he'd probably do something very stupid if you go. After all, love is a funny thing."

I blushed. "But I don't want him or you guys hurt."

"I know. Neither did Usagi. The problem is that when something big, ugly, and evil is heading for the Princess and you, the Senshi, can throw yourself in front of it, you have to. She may be the most powerful, but one day, if she meets her match and she croaks, we ain't getting another Usagi. She's done. Kablooey. That's it. So when you've only got one Warrior who can bring anyone in the world back to life, and she's about to get shiskabobbed, you've gotta stand up and take it for her because then she can bring you back."

"But–but that isn't fair," I protested. "I don't want you guys taking hits for me. I can handle them on my own."

"Can you?"

"Don't you get it?" I asked astringently, shaking off the memory. "I don't want you guys to get killed, and if it means staying away from everyone, then so be it!"

"Sakura, someone always gets hurt in a fight." His eyes were sad. "That's a fact of life. Our job is to make sure innocent people don't get involved."

"That's what I'm doing!" I yelled. "If I'm gone, then no one in Readington is in danger!"

"But _you_ are," he retorted. "And that's what we've been trying to avoid!"

"But you can't just shield me forever!" I protested. "I don't want you guys to!"

"We only have to keep _you_ safe as long as there's something to keep you safe from," he shot back. "If you go back, we can beat him!"

"I tried!" I shouted. "Dammit, Li, I tried! _I can't beat him!_ He's too damn strong!"

"You can't beat him _alone_." He crossed his arms and glared at me. "But what about with everyone else?"

"_It's my fight! _If you and everyone else get involved, you could get hurt and that's what I spent six months trying to keep from happening!"

"You _can't_ keep it from happening! Sakura, we're you're friends and we're not going to let you die!"

"But _I'm_ not going to let _you_ die!"

"You have to," he said flatly. "You're the only Celestial Warrior we're going to get."

"And everyone else is the only everyone else we're going to get!" I objected. 

"But you're the only person who can use the Life and Death cards. You're _different,_ Sakura."

That cut deep. "_Why can't everybody just leave me alone?" _I screamed. "Why can't I just be normal, like everyone else? I had _friends,_ dammit, and a normal life before this! Why can't you let me be normal?"

"Because you _aren't_, Sakura," he said painfully. "None of us are. It sucks, but it doesn't change anything. We can't just go back to a regular life like nothing ever happened."

"How do you know?" I demanded. "You don't know what it's like!"

"When I was growing up in Hong Kong, no one liked me." He looked away. "None of the other boys at school had magic, so they had no clue what life was like for me. I wasn't obsessed with comic books or sports, so I automatically wasn't cool. I had _no friends_ for most of my life. And when I get older, the Clan Elders are probably going to start trying to tell me how to live my life even more. So don't tell me that I don't know what it's like to want to be normal, because I have. And you aren't the only one. Did you think that Usagi and the others have had _anything_ close to a normal life? They haven't, because it's the price we pay for our power. It isn't fair for us, but what are we going to do? Walk up to someone else and dump the responsibility on them? It doesn't work like that. We're stuck, Sakura, but we might as well make the best of it." 

I stared at him, a lump rising in my throat. _He's right,_ I realized. _Damn him, but he's right._

When I didn't argue, he met my eyes. "You have no idea how worried I've been," he said softly. "What if something happened to you?"

"It didn't," I said, feeling a strange mixture of sadness, guilt, and anxiety. 

"But it could have," he said wearily, running a hand through his hair. 

__

My running away must have hurt him more than I thought, I realized. _God, I love him._

And it hit me. I'd been willing to give it all up just to keep from a little pain and irritation. I sat down hard on the bed, feeling rather overwhelmed, and a lump rose in my throat. A tear silently rolled down my face. 

Strong arms wrapped around me and held me tightly, and I buried my face in his shoulder, still unbelieving. I'd almost let it all go. I'd almost let _him_ go.

All the tears I'd been holding back came out in a rush, and I cried, and cried, and cried.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Li

Sakura murmured something in her sleep, and I shifted her in my arms. She'd cried herself to sleep on my shoulder.

She had obviously had a harder time than I'd thought. You could see it in the dark circles under her eyes, in the shadowed look she had, in the way she just looked and sounded. She hadn't had much fun.

Why was it that _she_ of all people was destined for the kind of life she had? _Why does she have to have the kind of morals she does?_ I wondered wryly. _She has a point about everybody getting hurt but her, but I don't think it's her fault at allRakutan knows her too well somehow._ My instincts were telling me he had purposely been making sure that whenever she fought him, someone else got hurt, just to drive her crazy.

__

And it worked

Damn him, why can't he just leave her alone?

Why can't he just leave everybody alone? Sora had already identified him as the bad man' in the future, so we knew that much.

And he was strong. He'd have to be, if he could get past the us' in the future and attack Sora's parents.

And who _were_ they? Why were they so important?

Sakura mumbled something again in her sleep, and I stifled a laugh. I hadn't known she was this cute when she was asleep.

It was sad, though, that even when she was resting, she still had a guarded look to her. 

It wasn't fair at all that her life had been totally trashed. I hadn't ever been _without_ magic, but she had, and she'd lived so normally and had it all

And yet, she was still getting through losing that.

Whoever it was that had made her the Warrior had a funny sense of humor, that was for sure.

I tightened my arms around her, wishing we could stay like this forever. Sadly, that wasn't about to happen any time soon

I looked down. She looked so peaceful, just laying there. I wasn't anywhere near willing to wake her up.

So I leaned back against the wall, Sakura still in my arms, and closed my eyes.

"Li."

I forced my eyes open, willing to do anything if I could hear that voice again and be sure that she was really with me, that last night hadn't been a dream. Sakura's face came into view, a gentle smile on her lips. "Look." She pointed to the window. "It's snowing."

I stood up and blinked at the world of white lying beyond the glass pane. The morning sun shone brightly down on it from a gap in the ivory clouds, making it look like the entire city had been reborn in a way.

She stood beside me, her head resting on my shoulder. For the moment, we were able to just watch as fat, lacy snowflakes fell, dropping slowly from the sky. 

I felt a hand slip into mine, and she said softly, "Merry Christmas."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Okay, be forewarned: The next chapter is even darker. ^_^ I love it! PMS rules! (Along with High School, but we won't go into that.)


	5. White Light

Beyond the Warrior

Beyond the Warrior

Chapter Five: White Light

Okay, people, LISTEN! DON'T SKIP THIS PART BECAUSE THERE'S STUFF HERE YOU NEED TO KNOW BEFORE YOU READ THIS SO YOU DON'T GET CONFUSED! Okay?

First of all, there's something I'm doing in this chapter that I didn't do in any other stories. What happens is that instead of being told in past tense, some (really dramatic) parts get told in present tense, because it just is cool. For those of you who are confused, here's an example:

I stared at the blue sky overhead and walked through the park, my mind drifting like leaves on the autumn wind. _Why is this happening to me?_ I wondered hopelessly.

Okay, that's past tense. _This_ is present tense:

I stare at the blue sky overhead as I walk through the park. My mind drifts like leaves on the autumn wind. _Why is this happening to me?_ I wonder hopelessly.

See the difference? If you don't, wellspiffy for you! I'll just be writing in present tense at intervals.

Second of all, I wrote this shortly after seeing both _Atlantis_ and _Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon,_ so that's where the inspiration comes from. So if you don't like this chapter, DEAL WITH IT!

Oh yeah, and I know this chapter is short, but give me some credit, okay? I tried! I really did!

Huh. No lyrics to give credit for in this chapter, although I'm using a lot of Dido songs latelymaybe it's cuz I love her kickass CD, _No Angel_. Well, let's just get the chapter started. I don't own this.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

****

Sakura

The wind whipped around me as I stood there, hand in hand with Li and Sora. The Senshi, Li, Sora, and I all were in a circle—all of us, including Arashi, Tenshi, Hayashi, and Koori; after all, they were the Lunar Senshi—and every single one of us was waiting to be sucked into the time portal.

Rakutan had vanished completely from the Earth on Christmas Day, and none of us could figure out why until Usagi remembered the battles with Prince Diamond. 

__

"He could go back and forth in time without Pluto's assistance," she explained excitedly. "So if **he** could go, then why not Rakutan?"

"Of course," I said slowly. "He went back to his own time."

"But why?" Makoto asked. "Why stop chasing you now?"

I frowned, wondering. It was the 26th—we'd gotten back that morning.

And then it hit me. He was the father of Hei Long, and one of **her** underlings hadn't been in a good place for him to fight me when he attacked, so he'd gotten me there.

"He wants to fight me on his own turf," I said lowly. "He knows **I'm** the one after **him** now, so he's choosing the battle ground."

And so that only left one option—go to the future.

I remembered Sora had said something about going as soon as we'd found the Lunar Senshi when she'd first come, but it was kind of vague. No matter what, though, we were on our way. The chances were that he wasn't making things easy on the _us_ of the future.

We were pulled into the portal, and landed in a world of mist. I knew it from somewhere, but how? 

"Where are we?" Li asked, the light of recognition in his eyes.

"The World Between Worlds," came Setsuna's voice—only it was older somehow. A slightly aged Sailor Pluto strode out from the fogs, her staff in hand. "When you were in the DreamWorld, Warriors, this is the place you came when you were asleep. It's the largest world of all."

"We need to go to the future," Usagi said swiftly. 

"Yes, you're after Rakutan right now, aren't you?" Something flickered in her glass-smooth face as she stepped away from the double doors and they opened. "The time warp has settled since you last traveled it, Small Lady."

"What do you mean?"

"The pressure is still there, but you can walk through without trouble." She frowned. "You must go now. It might get stirred up soon, and that will not be pleasant. Do not let go of anyone, or you will regret it." She ushered us in, and the doors closed behind us.

I don't want to go into how walking through the time warp feels. In brief detail, it's like having something try to rip you apart, and tear your hand free of whatever anchor it's got. 

In short, it wasn't fun at all. The only thing that made it bearable was the fact that Li was holding my hand the whole time, which I most definitely did not mind.

After an eternity, I staggered out. Waiting for us was a woman with long, blonde hair and big blue eyes—Neo Queen Serenity.

"Hello," she said, surprised. She walked up to Usagi and stared at her, and it was like seeing two sides to a mirror. "You have no idea how weird this is."

"Sure I do," she said weakly.

The queen abruptly turned away. "He came back yesterday," she said grimly. "You need to come with me."

"What about Li and I?" I asked. "Where are we? And who are Sora's parents? Why couldn't we keep them safe?"

She blinked at us, surprised, then said, "You were—um—busy."

I was confused, but something inside told me not to press her.

"So," Makoto said cheerfully. "When do we get to fight him?"

Serenity led us down a series of halls. "I want to see if you can free Sora's parents first," she explained. "If you can, it'll be a lot of help."

"Who are they?" Rei asked as we followed the blonde queen. 

"Important nobility," she replied. "When we get there, you won't be able to see them, but that doesn't matter."

"What about the Tenchi Crystal?" Li asked. "Why can't we touch it?"

"Because you are not its owner," Serenity said simply. "It chooses its owner, and its current owner is incapacitated right now."

She stopped and placed a hand on the wall in front of us. A circular section opened up, and she strode through. When we had all passed through it, it sealed again.

We went down another few corridors, then came to a door. It opened, and we walked in.

The room was full of light, with a column stretching up in the center. It seemed at least five stories tall, and the ceiling was even higher overhead. Something glowed at the top, but it was too far up to see.

"They're up there," she said briskly. "Rakutan put some kind of spell on them, and it keeps them in something between a time freeze and eternal sleep."

I looked down and saw Sora staring at the column with tears in her eyes. "It's okay," I told her softly. "They'll be okay."

She swallowed and nodded as I cursed Rakutan once more in my mind. Anyone who could do this to a little girl was _sick. _

I pulled out the crystal and focused my powers on the invisible force field around the column's top. It was strong; very strong. I gritted my teeth and tried to break through.

Something started to give, and—

The ceiling was shattered as dark magic rushed in, flattening us all. Immediately, I turned my power towards holding it off, but ropes of shadows twined around me as the Celestial Crystal sank back into my chest. I tried to burn them away, and found they not only bound me but my power as well. I was helpless.

"Sakura!" Fire seared away some of the ropes, and Li tried to fight off even more that were launching themselves at him and help me at the same time, but they were winning. One hissed as he knocked it away, then reached out an arm to me. "Sakura, grab my hand!"

I wrenched my arm free and threw it out to him. Our fingertips brushed, but I was towed away from the battle scene as more shadows wrapped themselves around me. Everything faded

I woke up de-transformed and clothed in a strange robe. Sitting up, I felt my muscles ache and scowled, then tried to send a communication link to Ami. To my slight worry, it bounced off the walls of the room I was in. He'd slapped a containing spell around me, and it'd cost too much power to force away, so I just sat and waited for him to come to me. 

I found I was in a cell. _Honestly, like daughter like father,_ I thought disgustedly. _You'd think he'd get a little more creative._

The wall to my right flickered. The ugly, twisted face of a man came into view, grinning horribly.

"Enjoying your stay, little Warrior Princess?" he simpered. It was Rakutan.

Instead of verbally replying, I flipped him off. [AN: Yeah! Go Sakura!] After all, actions spoke louder than words.

"Feisty." He appeared to savor the word, and I shivered. 

"Piss off, asshole." I crossed my arms and looked away. "Ryu—or Hei Long, whichever you want to call her—was _happy_ when she died."

"What?" he asked. His hideous features twisted into a grimace of confusion, then contorted as he laughed, and laughed, and laughed. His face bore a grotesque smirk as he finally gasped, "You thought I was after you because you killed that pathetic little bitch? Oh, that is _too_ rich." His mouth opened in an evil smile, showing red-stained teeth. "You did me a favor by killing her. I never cared about her. Never will. I troubled myself with you, you insolent little brat, for the crystal."

My mind raced, and I said swiftly, "What crystal?"

"Don't play dumb. You know what I'm talking about, my dear girl; the Celestial crystal. You're here because I'm going to kill you and take it."

"Fat chance," I snarled. "I don't have it."

"Nice try." He rolled his eyes. "That's why I have to kill you to get it. Of course, that is an extra reward."

"Why?" I asked, adding, "As if I care, because I don't plan on dying any time soon."

He snorted. "You don't know? You've lived _twice_ and you never knew?"

"Shut up and tell me, you jackass." I glared fiercely at him.

He merely laughed. "You have the strongest life force in the universe. You and that crystal couldn't do diddly to me, but with your life force in that rock I could rule everything to the stars and more. You know what's best, though?"

"Indulge me," I said sarcastically.

"Even though it's the strongest force in the universe, _you can't use it!_ You need it to live! _You can't use it!_" He laughed insanely at that.

I narrowed my eyes and didn't say anything, though I was shaking inside. _I'm going to die,_ I realized. _I'm going to god damn die._

"Now, it's time to get the party started." He rubbed his hands together. "What a fine dress you're wearing, my dear."

If he had been there, I would have slapped him.

"It's time to go, though!" he cackled, and all of a sudden I found myself lying on a dark slab of stone that looked eerily like an altar. Chains were wrapped around my wrists and ankles, binding me to the smooth black rock, and they were like the dark ropes—they bound my magic as well.

Footsteps echoed somewhere to my right. Looking around, I saw I was on a plateau of sorts—there was only open sky overhead, but it was black and murky. Rakutan was fifty feet away, and in his fist was a jagged, dull black blade.

Fear tightened my chest. I struggled to break free, but to no avail. The chains held. 

__

Li, where are you? Rakutan was forty feet away nowthirty feettwenty feetwalking up the steps

I could hardly breathe. Even if I managed to get loose somehow, he would catch me and he would kill me because that was how much power he had. 

He smiled, and bile rose in my throat. Leaning over me, he slowly traced a line from my neck to my stomach as I shuddered in revulsion. "It _is_ too bad that _you_ have to be a virgin to be sacrificed on the altar," he whispered in my ear.

I turned my head and spat in his eye. "It _is_ too bad you have to use binding chains to kill a fourteen-year-old."

He drew away, smirking, and I tried to hide my terror. All I saw was the dully gleaming blade poised above my heart. _Don't let him see your fear. Oh, god, don't let him see I'm afraid._

I swallowed. If I was going to die here and now, I'd give my life force—and the crystal—to someone else. _Anyone_ else. But somehow, I'd make sure he never got them. Somehow.

The dagger was raised tantalizingly slowly. _He can't kill me. I believe in Li, and he would never let me die._ I watched in terrified fascination as it lengthened to become as long as a sword, then swung down in a tight arc—

And was stopped by a silver edge. 

The two blades met with a ring, and the black slid away as Li landed between me and Rakutan, growling, "Don't you even _touch_ her!"

"You want to fight me?" Rakutan asked indolently, examining a taloned fingernail. 

"You know what?" Li threw a fireball at him. "I do."

Black and silver flashed in two blurs, too fast for me to watch. Clangs filled the open air as a wind ruffled my hair and the Senshi materialized nearby. 

Rakutan saw that, frowned, and threw a dark shield around them before they could move. 

"Jupiter Oak Evolution!" Makoto shot crackling power at the wall, but it absorbed it, then sparked and electrocuted them.

"No!" I thrashed, trying to get free of the iron chains, but they remained as unbreakable as ever. Twenty feet away, Li was ignoring the deep gash in his arm and fighting like it wasn't there. Rakutan had a shallow cut in his shoulder—but it wasn't bleeding.

But Li was hurt.

The senshi were getting hurt too.

__

And dammit, that pisses me off!

That's IT! I snapped in a way, and the green fire of my magic consumed my vision. Something shot from my chest, shining like the sun: the crystal, only fueled even more. My power strained against the chains, and there was an eternal moment where I felt crushed between two walls as the chains held; then they exploded away from me in a burst of emerald fire. Chunks of iron rained down around me, the altar crumbling as I stood and shattered the shield confining the senshi. Something was different about the power of the crystal, though. It was—more _intense,_ in a way.

Then silver light flared to my right. Whirling, I saw something that shone like a white star materialize in front of Li. Rakutan was thrown into a wall by a beam of power that came from the burning stone; he slid down it and didn't get back up.

"What is that?" someone whispered as I ran into his arms. 

"I knew you'd come," I mumbled into his shirt.

"I was so scared we'd be too late," he murmured into my ear, holding me tightly. "And we almost were."

Overhead, the two crystals scintillated [AN: that means shone']. "What _is_ that?" I asked, staring at the silver-white one.

"I think it'sthe Element Crystal," Li said slowly. "It's made of Element magic, at least."

The two crystals burned spots in my eyes, but I couldn't look away. We watched as they drew closer and closer together, then melded with a flash. White and green fire spiraled and orbited around the fiery ball, faster and faster and faster until it was all a blur shimmering around the orb. The green and white stone shot into the sky, shafts of light spearing the darkness. "It'sIt's the Tenchi Crystal," I whispered in sudden realization.

"_It chooses its owner_" 

I watched, captivated, as spears of light traveled over everyone. My eyes filled with green and white light, and the next thing I knew was that a small sun was blazing in front of me. I'd been chosen.

I reached out, and the crystal floated in between my palms. Power filled every fiber of me, threatening to rip me apart. I gritted my teeth and forced the pain back in my mind, then _opened_ somehow. Instead of flowing around me, the magic flowed _through_ me.

Dark power broke an invisible shield that had formed from the crystal's power. Rakutan was on his feet.

I stepped up, putting a stronger shield around us all and preparing to fight back. _It's payback time,_ I vowed. 

A hand on my shoulder made me pause. It was Li.

"Be careful," he said softly. 

I smiled reassuringly. "I will."

Another blast shook the shield. He nodded wearily, and I turned my attention to the crystal and concentrating its powers. Sheer, raw magic blazed out. Rakutan held it off as I tried to force it at him, knowing if it reached him he would be burned away. We were locked in a stalemate, will against will. Sweat rolled down my face as I desperately tried not to falter, the tortuous minutes ticking past.

And then it cracked.

The power was gone.

No—not gone; he had taken it.

I gasped as he howled with triumph and glee. Frantic, I yelled, "Everyone, give me your power!"

Fifteen beams of light filled the crystal with new energy and, becoming the Warrior, I saturated every ounce of magic I had into it too. Shaking, I tried to attack him again, but he struck back with twice the force and I was knocked off my feet. There was another crack, and he stole the power from me again. I watched, horrified, as he towered into the sky, dragging myself to my hands and knees. Every bit of me felt pounded. He had all the power he'd wanted all along. I'd failed. _I had failed._ My magic was gone. Every was drained. The crystal was empty, and Rakutan was still alive. If I dared to lift my head, I would see the last thing I wanted to—everyone I cared about, all either on their knees or barely standing. They were all helpless now. They would die.

__

I failed.

My breath rang harshly in my ears, but then stopped as it hit me. 

There was one choice. One option I had left.

Everyone would hate me for it. They would understand, in time, but they would be so angry about it.

__

But they would live. 

Earth would live. 

I could save the world.

Full of serene calm, I stood, my choice—made. Li was one of the few people still on their feet. My heart was beating like a hammer as I walked over to him. I kissed him, then said, "I love you. I'm sorry I have to do this."

"What?" 

I didn't reply; only walked away.

"Sakura, what are you doing?"

I made no response, only continued walking towards Rakutan.

I came to his feet, then reached inside me for the one remaining power I had.

It was strong. Damn, it was strong. I could see now why Finality was always successful. 

My birth mother of the Silver Millenium had done this to save me. Now I was doing it to save the world.

White fire consumed my vision as I rose, higher and higher in the air. Finally I drew level with him and met his dark, glittering eyes. I floated there silently, then said, "Don't. Mess. With. My. Friends."

There was a split second before I did it, and I could see the confusion in his eyes. Then the blinding flash came, and I drifted away in white light, watching with satisfaction as he was sent into the deepest of hells. He was finally destroyed.

Then everything was white light

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Li

There was a snow-white, blazing, soundless explosion above me. All was calm for a fraction of a second—then the air shattered. I was flattened by the blast of wind. A howl signified Rakutan's fading into oblivion as I forced an eye open.

Then the wind stopped. And something white, high in the sky, seemed to crumple.

"Sakura!" I yelled her name; there was no response. "SAKURA!"

Somehow I dragged myself to my knees, then to my feet. The motionless white form slowly drifted downward, floating in a milky bubble of power—all that was left. Then it vanished, the white shape plummeting down. I caught it, and it was all I could do to not scream. It was Sakura.

White flames still flickered over her, dancing ghostly patterns through her unbound hair. Her pale face was caught in an expression of serenity, still and beautiful and free of pain.

She was dead.

Tears ran down my face as I held her tightly to me. This couldn't be happening. She could not be dead. It just wasn't feasible. Sakura could not die.

My Sakura could not be dead.

But she was.

Fury was the first thing to fill me—fury towards the DarkLords, towards Rakutan, towards magic, towards _everything_. I hated it all for being alive when she was not.

A dully shining stone rose into the air. I watched numbly as the Tenchi Crystal drifted away. It was a reminder of magic—the thing that had taken Sakura away from me. I wanted no part of it now.

Standing, I walked away, Sakura still in my arms, going back the way I'd came and using what little of my power that had regenerated to teleport to the Time Portal. I walked through it and into the world of mist, ignoring the older Setsuna as she stepped aside, her eyes closed in pain at the sight of Sakura's lifeless body. I strode through the Time Warp, ignoring Tori when I came out the other side. I passed him; he didn't try to stop me. Going to her house, I went in, knowing her father was gone, then went to her room and laid her down on the bed. Kero was nowhere to be seen.

I opened the drawer where she kept the book of cards.

And when I left, there were two in my pocket.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~[AN: okay, this is where I start using the present tense!]

I stand in my apartment. If I could, I would have taken the Life and Death cards, but only Sakura could use those. Now she's gone, and since the cards are keyed to her soul, I'm stuck.

I pull out the two cards I'd taken. The Time. The Sleep. They'll work for me. I know they will.

"Time! Sleep!" 

I watch as blue dust falls around me and Time seals me in a sphere where it all stops. I know how it's going to work. I'm going to sleep until I die. I don't know when it will happen.

But until then, I'll be asleepand dreaming. Dreaming we're together again. 

Darkness enfolds me. Far-off, I can hear the Senshi pound up the stairs, but they can't stop it now.

The door bangs open, and I hear someone say "We're too late" before all consciousness leaves me a moment later.

I'll sleep until I die, dreaming of Sakura.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~ fin


	6. "I'm alive, but I'm VERY BADLY BURNT..."

Beyond the Warrior

Beyond the Warrior

Chapter Six: "I'm alive, but I'm VERY BADLY BURNT"

Okay, how many people are ready to kill me for ending the last chapter like that? It's always so much fun to kill off a character ) I said in that notice in my profile that Li doesn't die, and it's true! He just goes into eternal sleepsee, he didn't know exactly what he was getting intowell, I'll just start the chapter, shall I? It'll all be explained there.

I don't own this at all, other than the characters that aren't in any series, and if you want to sue me for writing this I have one thing to say to you:

STICK IT UP YOUR ASS. OR PIEHOLE. WHICHEVER YOU PREFER. If I owned this, I'd be RICH! $$$$$$$$

But I'm not. I don't. It doesn't take a genius to figure that out.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

3rd Person/Yet Another Thing That Sounded Cool As An Intro

Six women are seated by large crystal spheres, three in all, two women watching each. Their names are Aiyanna, Hylene, Shanndyra, Vayeren, Terryanis and Taeyuriel. They are the Element Goddesses–daughters of Mother Star and Father Void, creators of the universe. Guardians of the human race, they shield the worlds from chaos. Each watches a flow of time; Past, Present, or Future. Aiyanna Wind-Goddess and Hylene Water-Goddess survey the Past; Vayeren Starfire-Goddess and Taeyuriel Spirit-Goddess guard the Present; Terryanis Earth-Goddess and Shanndyra Fire-Goddess are the watchers of the Future. 

They ensure that humankind survivesbut even goddesses have rules. One is the unsurpassable law that time must never, ever be reversed. The other: not to involve themselves in mortal affairs unless it affected the time flow. If the Future and the Present will not be affected, then all they can do is watch. So far, there have been very few times when their interference is needed, and none in the past few centuries.

Frowns darken the faces of Shanndyra, Terryanis, Vayeren, and Taeyuriel. A moment later, the unusual silence is broken by the red-headed fire goddess. "Uh oh." Leaning closer, she scowls at the scene in the orb. Each diamond sphere is easily three feet across. "This isn't good."

"What is it?" Hylene asks. 

"Sakura is out of power," she says uncertainly. "And so is Li."

"The Warriors?" Aiyanna frowns also as she turns away from the Past orb. With both of its guardians diverted, that flow of time freezes. While they may not reverse time, they are always free to stop it–a privilege they grant to only a fortunate few. 

"Yes," Terryanis confirms distractedly as her burning red-orange eyes, like the heart of a volcano, widen. "Oh, this is not good at all."

"Oh no!" Vayeren stares, horrified, at the Present orb. "Stop both flows, _now!_"

"Why?" 

"Oh _no!_" Shanndyra halts the Future, pale-faced, as Taeyuriel brings the Present to a standstill. "Sakura just _killed_ herself!"

"And Li put himself into Eternal Sleep," Vayeren says grimly. 

"This isn't supposed to happen!" Taeyuriel splutters. "The Celestial Warrior _can't_ commit _suicide!_"

"Well, she just did," Terryanis says flatly. "This is really not good."

"But we chose her to be a Warrior! She isn't meant to throw her responsibilities away like that!" Hylene argues as Aiyanna examines the Present orb.

"She didn't." Shanndyra's voice is tight with checked anger. "That asshole Rakutan left her one option–Finality." The other goddesses can see how upset she is; as the Fire-Goddess, she had a major role in designing the Warriors and their souls. To her, it's like having her daughter killed.

"But weren't they supposed to be brother and sister?" Terryanis muses. "Li and Sakura, that is, so that they wouldn't fall in love like this."

"Yeah, they were" Vayeren says semi-darkly. "Love does funny things."

"But how did they end up as–well, _not_ brother and sister?" Aiyanna asks. "Isn't Taeyuriel in charge–"

They all turn and stare at the silvery goddess. "_Taeyuriel"_ Shanndyra growls, accusatory.

"So I messed up!" she stammers. 

"Funny how you're always accurate otherwise," Terryanis says grimly. "You thought it would be romantic, didn't you?"

"They were perfect for each other!" she blusters. "And besides, if they had been related then she never would have unlocked her potential!"

"And Sora would have never been born," Hylene adds thoughtfully. "The Senshi would have died by the DarkLords. I think Taeyuriel did the right thing, you guys. They were meant to be together, or else there wouldn't _be_ a future."

"But if they were meant to be together" Terryanis breaks off, and her eyes narrow. A minute later, she yells, "DESTINY!"

There's a flicker of blue, and a girl of about twelve appears. Or at least, she _looks_ twelve–she's ever bit as old as time. "Yes?" Her voice is carefully innocent, as is the expression on her face. 

"You knew this was going to happen." Shanndyra's voice is low and dangerous. "You did this."

"I didn't _cause _this, if that's what you mean." She smiles. "Besides, it wasn't that big of a deal."

"NOT THAT BIG OF A DEAL?!?!?!" Shanndyra explodes. She points at the globes. "Time is in one of the biggest knots now because of this!"

"What do you mean?" 

"She means that because Sakura dies, Sora isn't born and she can't go the past to get her help, so she _doesn't_ die, and then has Sora, and _does_ die, and it gets messed up horribly." Aiyanna rubs her forehead. "I'm getting a headache. Gods aren't supposed to get headaches. We're supposed to sit around and sip wine and meddle with the mere mortals every once in a while."

"Well, we can't meddle, that's for sure," Hylene sighs.

"Yeah, or a Republican wouldn't be president," Shanndyra adds with a grin. "But I think that old Ma and Pa up there–" she jerks her thumb up "–might make an exception for this one."

"But Destiny," Vayeren scolds, "Why did you make it so they had to be together?"

"Because they were practically meant for each other!" she says defensively. At the six goddesses' raised eyebrows, she sighs. "All right, I'll admit it. Eriol _could_ have ended up with Sakura, and that couldn't happen." She gets an odd, blissful smile on her face. "I want Eriol to stay single forever, and then when he's in the Spirit World"

"He'll be with Madison," Terryanis says smoothly. "It's their fate."

Destiny scowls. "Yeah, yeah. I think Madison will die or something, then, and he'll be single again!" Suddenly, she pulls out a laptop. "You know, those mortals are pretty damn smart. Look at this thing! I can do so much on it!" Grinning brightly, she opens it and shows them the screen. "I even downloaded some pictures from Madison's web site, and now I can have his face as the wallpaper! And the trash icon is him when it's empty, and then him again when it's full!"

"I think I'm going to be sick," croaks Taeyuriel.

"No kidding," Hylene adds weakly.

"You can go now," Terryanis says dryly, and Destiny vanishes. "Well, why don't we just bring Sakura back to life?"

"How? She's the only one who can use the Life and Death cards."

"But we made her resourceful," says Aiyanna, looking thoughtful. "If we get her spirit back on Earth, she'll figure something out."

"Yeah, that would work," Vayeren says slowly. "Taeyuriel, will you go get her?"

"I'm on it." The silver-haired goddess vanishes in a flash.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Sakura

__

Well, this really sucks. I stood in the vast crowd uncertainly, not knowing what to do. _What do I do now? Haunt Tori whenever he yells at Li?_

What am I supposed to do?

Damned if I know.

Well, I'm damned anyway, I thought ruefully, _cuz I committed suicide technically,_ _but this still really, really sucks_

I waited impatiently for something–anything–to happen, but for the longest time, it didn't. 

Then a silver blur streaked overhead: a woman with the look of someone who knew what she was doing. _I think I could at least ask her what's going to happen._

I sprouted wings–my magic was restored–and flew after her. "Um, excuse me?" I shouted. When she turned around, a surprised expression on her face, I gulped but continued. "I–uh, I kinda committed suicide, and I'm just wondering whether I'm going to go to hell for that, because, um, well I had to kill this bad guy or he'd destroy the world. And I didn't really _want_ to die, soI'm just wondering if I'll go to hell or what," I finished with a nervous laugh.

She blinked. "Are you Sakura?"

Taken aback, I stammered, "Y-yeah."

She smiled. "It's all right. Trust me, you aren't getting anywhere _near_ a hell _ever. _Come with me."

I followed her as she soared straight up, wondering what was going on. A split second later, we passed through some sort of barrier–

And I was floating in a room, surrounded by strange, commanding women.

I blinked. Was this my heaven or hell? 

"Good, you found her," one with dark skin and burning eyes said. 

"Don't sound so surprised, Terryanis," chastised a blonde one with pale gray eyes.

"Why?" asked a red-haired one. "She actually managed to do something. Alert the media."

__

I hate argumentsthis has gotta be a hell

"Shann_dyra!_" yelled a blue-haired woman exasperatedly. "For the love of flame, could you all _please_ stop arguing?"

"Umm" I said nervously, "am I in the right place?"

"Yes," said one, giving the others a glare. "I'm Vayeren, goddess of Starfire."

"G-g-g-_goddess?"_ I stammered, stunned.

"Yeah," she said distractedly, grimacing at the other women and holding up a finger. "Sakura, hold on." Stalking up to the knot of bickering females, she yelled, "KNOCK IT **OFF!** WE'VE GOT BIGGER ISSUES THAN YOUR EGOES!"

Abashed, they all sat down meekly and waited for her to say something. Sighing ruefully, she said, "Sakura, you weren't supposed to die like this. There's a lot of problems if you do."

"Like what?"

Shanndyra shook her head. "Can't tell you everything, you know. Mortals like you can't know too much."

"Anyway, we've got to give you another chance at life," Vayeren continued pointedly. "But we can only do so much. So" The Tenchi Crystal appeared between her hands. "You can return to Earth within the crystal, and figure something out from there. The problem is, you'll have to stay _in_ the crystal. It might take you a lifetime to get back to life. Li might be long dead. And you might not be able to get out at all–you might be trapped in there forever. But Li could use some help, so if you want to go"

"How is he?" I asked worriedly.

A shadow crossed her face as my eyes landed on one of the giant spheres. There was a familiar figure insideWalking over, I stared into its depths, then gasped at what I saw. 

__

Li?!

The sword was just starting to fall out of his hands, the time freeze around him sealing him away from the rest of the world and the blue granules of Sleep's magic drifting around him. Stunned, I stood there and just looked at him, my mind barely registering the fact that the Senshi had just burst through the door in the scene. There was nothing they could do. I'd invested almost every scrap of power I'd had in those cards, and nothing they had could get through Time or Sleep. They were too strong.

I swallowed, a tear running down my face. _But–he'll be in–in eternal sleep_ "Why?" I whispered. "He'll never wake up. Why did he do that?"

"Simple," Taeyuriel said bluntly. "You're dead."

My jaw tightened as I turned around and said grimly, "Put me in the crystal. I'm going back."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

One Year Later

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Katana

I jumped over a fence, headed down an alley.

"Come back, Kate! We aren't finished with you yet!"

Rolling my eyes, I continued running. There was a splash as my foot landed in a puddle, the muddy water rising to soak my jeans.

__

Great, I thought bitterly. _Just great. Is there **ever** a day in Oregon where it doesn't rain?_

I want to be back home and I want to go back **now.**

I nearly slipped on the slick pavement as I rounded a corner, pushing light-brown hair out of gray-green eyes. It had been almost three months since my legal guardians had died in a car crash and I'd been stuck here. _Why'd they have to go and make themselves citizens?_ I wondered. _It got me stuck here, with **them.**_

'Them' was my new foster parents. Originally, I'd been born in Hong Kong, but my parents had died when I was young and I became basically the child of the Li Clan. Everyone took care of me, and two of the clan members were put in charge of my training. Other than them, I didn't really have parents.

But the new foster parents I had–they were messed up. The man kept on trying to beat me up.

He _tried._

The thing was, he never got very far. Every time he'd so much as laid a finger on me, I'd broken it and the other nine. If he'd tried to get me in trouble, I would have told the authorities exactly what he was doing, and he and his living skeleton of a wife couldn't afford to have me do that.

But I was too young to leave on my own, so I was stuck here for another few years. It wasn't that big of a deal to stay with them–they didn't try anything with me anymore, so it made it bearable.

"Don't run away, Katie!"

I sighed. I'd told _everyone_ a million times: the name was Katana. Not Kate, not Katie, not whatever else they wanted to call me.

The support workers had told me to try to fit in. That's why it said 'Kate' or 'Katherine' on all the legal papers. But, as I had informed them repeatedly, trying to get _me_ to fit in was like asking a sword to get up and dance.

Kata had been my old nickname. Not Kate. Kata I would have put up with. Tana would have been annoying, but I could have handled it. But 'Kate'? No. It wasn't _me._ The name was okay, but to try and Americanize _me_ was wrong.

And yet, they called me Kate.

The boys were starting to catch up to me, but I wasn't worried. Rather than running away, I stopped in an alley where I could fight back and waited for them.

They rounded the corner soon enough, and the leader held out an arm to halt his friends. "There you are, Katie. Me and my friends wanted to see if you wanted to have some _fun_ with us." He grabbed my arm, nails digging into my skin. "What do you say?"

I glared at him from underneath lowered eyelids. The only good thing about living in Portland was that I didn't have to wear a school uniform; and I was going to be very grateful for that fairly soon

I wrapped a callused fist around his elbow and twisted my arm around, flipping him over and slamming to the ground. _Oh, sure, I'll have some fun _

Stunned, his 'friends'–more like minions–stared at me, then started charging at me.

__

I needed to practice. This should be fairly easy.

In a minute, the alley was strewn with downed boys, all groaning and feeling new bruises very well. I walked out with hardly a scratch, very and extremely smug. 

__

It's a shame I can't use my magic, I thought ruefully, _or they'd be roasty-toasty and extra-crispy too._

Ha. If I _ever_ used my magic, the people here would have me tied to a stake and on the witch-grill in two seconds flat.

"Hey, look at me!" A little homeless man jumped in front of me, babbling excitedly from the depths of the cardboard box over his head, a flap raised so his face showed. "Look at me! Guess what guess what guess what guess what guess what guess what guess what guess what guess what guess what guess what guess what guess what?!?!?!?! WWWWWWWWHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEOOOOOOOOOOOOOOHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" He held his arms straight out, making airplane noises, and ran straight into a telephone pole. As he fell to the ground, a green and white-streaked stone rolled out of his pocket. Shaking his head, he got up and ran off, sounding like a motor boat.

"Riiiiight," I muttered. Bending over, I picked up the stone and nearly dropped it with a yelp of shock. There was more than enough power inside to destroy the entire galaxy–several times over.

Then something seemed to stir within it, and I was suddenly forced to walk jerkily into the nearest empty alleyway, my mind panicking. _Omigod omigod omigod, what the heck is going on?!?!_

/Relax!/ A voice rang through my head, sounding almost as anxious as I was. /Please, I really do _not_ need you to freak on me!/

As I blinked, a white shape seemed to form inside the crystal, solidifying until I could see a girl who looked about my age. Something about her seemed awfully familiar "Have we met?" I asked confusedly.

/Maybe,/ she sighed. /I'm Sakura, Card Mistress, Celestial Warrior, and all that crap./

For the second time, I nearly dropped the crystal. _"You're_ **that** Sakura?" I choked out.

/Could we just talk mind to mind?/ she asked wearily. /People will start thinking you're crazy, otherwise. And yes, I am _that_ Sakura./

/How did you get in there?/ I asked confusedly. 

/Long story. Can I just send you the information directly?/

/Sure./

Nothing could have prepared me for the kind of transmission I received a moment later, heralded by an icy-blue flash. I lived the moment, witnessing her death and then what she'd seen with Li and everything. 

/Wow,/ I said numbly after I'd managed to catch my mental wind. /That's, um, pretty rough./

/Yeah, I know./ She sat down wearily. /So where are you from? One of the Clan girls, since you know magic?/

/How'd you know I have magic?/

/Part of my training. Clan girl?/

/Yep. My name's Katana, but you can call me Kata./

/How'd **you** get **here?**/ she asked. /I thought I was in Oregon./

/You are,/ I assured her. /Long story./

/Just give me the info, like I did for you./

I sent her the memories, and after a minute she said, /Tough break. I'm sorry./

/It's okay./ I shrugged. /I just want to go home. Aunt Yelan would have a fit if she knew about my foster parents./

/I wouldn't blame her/ Sakura rubbed her chin, musing. /You know, I think we could help each other out on this one./

/What do you mean?/

/I need to get to Tomoeda,/ she explained. /The problem is that I don't have enough power to fly myself over the entire Atlantic Ocean in _this,_ or I would have already. In fact, I can't move the crystal at all. But I _can_ still generate money and illusions and do just about everything else; so you could get on an airplane and take me with you./

/I see./ For the moment, I ignored the fact that I didn't like airplanes. /That would work out really well./

/What do you say? Are you in?/

/I'm in,/ I said positively. /Now, how about getting some cash for a taxi?/

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Sakura

/I'm really, really, REALLY not loving this!/ Kata wailed in my mind. 

/Kata, _pull yourself together!_/ I winced at the nice dent in the armrest from where she was clutching it in a white-knuckled death grip. 

Who could have guessed that Kata would be afraid of flying in an airplane?

If this kept up, her magic would start leaking out from her anxiety, and that would not be good at allI could picture the reactions as strange, cloud-like apparitions floated through the cabin and flashes of light came and went

I sighed and put her to sleep in a twist of power. It never helped when someone was that worked up.

The flight was always a long one, but now it was longer than ever. It was a miracle I'd finally found someone with magic–ever since I'd landed in Ohio, I'd been passed along until I'd finally found her. _What is it with Americans and not having magic?_ I wondered, looking out from my spot in the window. _I mean, I sensed some here and there, but there isn't nearly as much as there is in Tomoeda._

Must be some American dealI heard something about the Salem Witch Trails, maybe they got rid of most of it

But that doesn't matter now. What matters is getting back.

/Isis it safe?/ Kata asked, her mental voice shaking. /Can we get off now?/

/YES!/ I yelled, trying to get her out of the chair. 

/Are you sure? The plane won't take off while I'm getting out, right?/

/EVERYBODY ELSE IS OFF, KATA! YOU WILL SURVIVE!/

/Are you really, really, really sure?/

/YES! Get _up_ or I'll set you on fire!/

/_That is SO not funny!_/ She scrambled down the aisle, clutching her bag, and the minute we were back on the ground she stopped worrying. /We need money,/ she sent. 

/In your purse./ I put in enough to get us five taxies, in case the fares had _really_ gone up in the past year.

Soon enough, she'd gotten her suitcase and we were in a taxi, headed for Tomoeda. The familiar scenery was so welcomeIt was hard to believe that after dying for the second time [AN: Remember? She's a reincarnation, so the first time was by Metallia] and being put in a crystal that I was actually going home.

It took about a half an hour to get to Tomoeda from the Tokyo airport. As we passed the shops, it was hard for me to hold back my tears at all the familiar sights. There was Nikki, her nose buried in a book as she sat on the benchThere was Chelsea, throttling Zachary as he grinnedRita, watching over some children as they played in the sandbox. 

__

Where are the Senshi? I wondered. 

Then the taxi stopped in front of my house. 

I could feel the magic radiating from a room near mine that had been empty when I died. _What the–_

/Kata, just let him keep the change,/ I told her distractedly. /Something's up, and we just need to get in there./

/You got it./ She just handed him the bill and said, "Keep the change."

As soon as the suitcase was out and he was gone, she walked up to the door, me in her pocket. After there was no response to her knock, I told her to look under the fifth flower pot, and sure enough, the spare key was there. 

The house was totally empty as I directed her up the stairs, telling her to leave her bag in the hall. When we reached the top, I saw a strange light coming from under one of the doors. /That one./

She pushed the door open, and we both gasped simultaneously. 

I was laid out on the bed, a strange, blue-white shield over me. It was like I hadn't aged a day since I'd died.

I knew the spell whoever it was had used. It was strong, and the shield was almost impenetrable, but it also took a phenomenal amount of power to put up.

The Book of Sakura was on the table nearby, the Key/Transformation Wand beside it. /I think you can use the wand,/ I told Kata. /Open the book. There's a card on top that has the name 'The Life.' You know how to use the Cards, right?/ She nodded, and I made the wand transform into my Staff. /The incantation is, 'Life Card, Release.' I didn't want something long and hard to remember./ I laughed inwardly.

She threw the card up. "Life Card, Release!" It came down on the point of the Staff, and there was a crack–

And the Card floated down. Nothing happened.

It hadn't worked.

I sat down in the glass ball, hard. _I can't believe itno, this has to work_

Kata picked up the card and studied it with her magic, something I'd never really done; I'd always been to busy.

"Sakura, it's keyed to your soul," she said a moment later.

/What?/

"It's keyed to your soul," she explained, not having to talk mentally because there was no one around. "Only you can use it." 

/Well, that's all fine and dandy, but I don't really have a body to use it with!/ I snapped, the overwhelming sense of despair making me harsh.

"You do now." There was a flash, and then suddenly I was standing in the room–

outside of the crystal.

My knees buckled, and I sat down on the ground, the Staff falling beside me. _Oh my god, I'm freaking **alive.**_

Where's Kata?!

I picked up the crystal, and her form appeared within it. /You _lived_ in this thing for a _year?_/ she demanded. /No TV? No stereo? Man, this _sucks!_/

"Kata, why'd you do that?!" I yelled. "Now _you're_ trapped in the crystal!"

/No I'm not,/ she retorted stubbornly. /I know how to soul-switch. The minute you bring yourself back to life, then I'll switch your soul into your body and go back to mine. It isn't that big of a deal./

"But–but–" I protested, amazed by the way she'd just given up her body like _that_, even if it was only temporary.

/Just get it over with!/ she teasingly ordered. /Or I'll switch back, and then you'll be in trouble!/

I swallowed, then got back to my feet and picked up the Staff and Card once more. Taking a deep breath, I gathered my powers and drew on the Tenchi Crystal's magic, then threw the Card into the air and shouted, "Life Card! Release!"

The magic exploded out in a silent flare, and I forced it towards my body. The shield gave way under the comet-like blast of power, but it took every ounce of strength I had to keep it on track. It had gotten stronger in the last year; I guessed it was because it had been drawing a little of my power. 

Then the blazing green hit my body's forehead. It was weird, being in another body but feeling your own working–I could feel my heart start to beat again and the blood move through my veins once more, but at the same time Kata's body was breathing and living, and I felt them both. 

There was a snap, and I opened my eyes to find myself looking from another perspective entirely. I sat up, and my hair fell around me as I looked at my hands, realizing that I was, for the third time, alive.

__

"Get away from her!" The door flew open with a bang, and I saw Makoto and Tori standing side by side, both pairs of eyes blazing and the rest of the senshi behind them.

There was stunned silence as I realized they must have felt the magic. _Of course, only the least trained of magicians could have missed that flare_

Every eye in the room was trained on me but for Kata's. She'd dropped the Staff and shifted into a fighting stance, but I didn't think she would need it any time soon.

"Ummhi, guys," I said weakly. "I, uh, kinda came back."

There was another split second of silence, and then I was nearly knocked over as first one body hit me, then another. Everyone was hugging and crying and laughing and it was confused chaos, but it was still the exact kind of reunion I'd wanted.

After a little while, everybody had calmed down enough and I stood. "I'm going to see Li. I'll be back soon enough."

"Um" began Usagi nervously. "Sakura, he"

"Put himself in eternal sleep," I said briskly. "I know. I'm gonna do what I can to fix that."

"Do you have to?" Tori asked plaintively, scowling. 

__

"Yes," I said firmly. "I'll be back soon."

I went to my room and changed into a long-sleeved, boat-necked white sweater and dark jeans, then swung a purse over my shoulder for old time's sake. My hair went into a ponytail; a pair of sneakers and I was ready to go. 

The early winter day was chilly, and I shivered in the slight wind, then used a bit of magic to warm the air around me. _You know, I really rely too much on my magic,_ I thought to myself. _Someday, I might lose it all and then I'll be in a tough spot._

"Sakura!"

Something yellow flew in my face, and I gasped, jumping back. "Kero!" I seized him by the neck and frantically stuffed him into my purse. "You aren't supposed to be outside! Someone's gonna call Animal Control and then we'll _both_ be screwed!"

He poked his head out and promptly had it shoved back in, but came out again nonetheless. "Hey" (shove) "Sakura" (shove) "how'd" (shove) "you" (shove) "manage" (shove) "to come" (shove) "back to" (shove) "life?" (shove)

"I'll tell you when we get to the apartment," I hissed, drawing strange looks from the passersby as they watched me talk to my purse.

"Whose apartment–OH, NO." He glared fiercely at me. "You aren't going to go wake up that brat, are you?"

"Damn straight," I said cheerfully, zipping the purse shut completely. 

To which he responded by yelling his head off. The fabric muffled it to some extent, but stillI created as few pieces of candy to shut him up, and there was silence for the rest of the trip.

Giving him sugar had been a mistake. The minute I let him out, he zipped around the kitchen, laughing hysterically. _I thought only Suppi gets drunk on sweets_

"CHOCOLATE!" he yelled, spying a bag of dark brown powder. "DUUUUUUUUUUUUDDDDDDEEEEEEEE! CHOCOLOCOLOCOLOCOLOCOLOCOLOCOLOCOLOCOLOCOLOCOLOCOLATE!!!!!!!! SCCOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOORRRRRRRREEEE!!!" There was a spray of granules as he dived in. I walked over and rubbed a finger along the counter, sniffing the powder. _This smells like–_

"CCOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!" Kero burst out again, then landed on the floor and switched back and forth from his true form about twenty times in the blink of an eye. In his false form again, he shot up to the ceiling, then turned and flew straight into a wall. Shaking his head, he dive-bombed towards me.

"Kero, _knock it off!_" I yelled, swatting at him with my purse. He let out a high-pitched cross between a gurgle and a giggle, then latched onto my hair. "GET **OUT** OF MY**HAIR!!!!!!**" I tried to pry him off, but he only held on tighter. "Dammit, Kero, I'm getting split ends!" 

He let go, zooming around the kitchen once more, and I collapsed into a chair with a sigh, putting my head in my hands.

"What's the matter, Sakura? Huh?" He buzzed into my face. "What's the matter? What's the matter? What's the matter? Huh? Huh? What's the matter? What's the matter? Huh? What's the matter? What's the matter? Huh? Huh? Huh? Huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh? What's the matter? Matter's the what? Huh? You–" he lowered his voice and zipped around to my ear "–look" his voice got quieter "like you need some–" his voice was barely a whisper now, but that didn't last for long. "COOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!" he bellowed, nearly shattering my eardrum. 

__

That's it, I don't **care** if he's my guardian beast. He was pinned to the floor by a containing spell, and, on second thought, I added a shield to muffle noise over it.

Taking a deep breath and trying to settle my heartbeat, I walked down the hall to Li's room.

The door was open, and I walked in. 

He was standing there, the Time Freeze around him making a column that was only two feet wide. Swallowing, I looked down and saw one little problem: the Time Card was still in the Time Freeze with him.

And that meant I couldn't call it back out to me.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Li

I floated in darkness, like I'd been for

Well, I didn't know how long. It had been a long time; but whether it had been only a day or a year or a lifetime was something I did not know.

The only thing I did know was that I was mentally kicking myself ever single moment. 

__

Smooth one, I told myself. _Really smooth, Li._

It was only after I'd fallen asleep that I'd realized exactly what I'd done. 

Oh, no, I wasn't going to sleep until I died. I was going to sleep forever, instead.

And it wasn't even sleep. It was just like being in a really dark room and not feeling anything.

In other words, I was between sleep and death. Which really, really sucked.

What was worse is that I couldn't remember why I'd done it. All I could remember was being really pissed off and sealing myself into the Time Freeze–nothing before that. And something told me I needed to. 

So I'd tried. I'd tried to remember life before being in here, but it was hard. Occasionally I'd get little glimpses of something, but they'd fade before I could really remember it. 

There was something missing here, though; something that I didn't have and that I needed. Somewhere in the back of my mind, I knew that something had been gone and that was what had sent me into this prison.

So today, I was going to try to think about that.

I concentrated on what had come before. What it was that had gotten me here.

Slowly, a picture in my mind started to build. 

Long, soft hair.

Bright eyes; they shone like emeralds.

A quirky, cheerful smile–always.

The picture was becoming clearer.

__

Is it this girl? Is she what got me here?

No, that wasn't quite it

She didn't send me here, my mind told me suddenly. You put yourself here because she was gone.

__

gone?

I must have–I must have loved her–

And then it all came back in a rush.

__

The silent explosion, then Sakura falling into my arms, still and lifeless.

"I love you. Tell everyone I'm sorry I have to do this."

A confrontation, when she'd ran away and I'd gone after her.

A fight where she'd thought Sora was my daughter, and then we'd started thinking at each other by accident.

"I would have neverbeen able to tell you that I love you"

Seeing her vanish into the darkness as the DarkLords howled with laughter, and feeling every ounce of blood drain from my face

"BACK OFF, BITCH! LI IS MINE!"

A dance with Sakura, then something making her stumble and then our faces had been very, very close

"Shut your piehole!"

"Sakura!"

Thorny vines wrapping around her and yanking her away from me in the flat, dull-gray vortex when we'd gone to the DreamWorld

"I believe in you"

"Sakura!" 

Her form plummeting to darkness as I stared, aghast, at the gaping hole that swallowed her up.

Something jerking my arm around, forcing me to attack herand then after she'd cut the strings, Sakura fainting into my arms–which I had **not** minded at all..

"The Final Judgement is over. I, Yue, proclaim Sakura the new Mistress of the Cards."

I watched sadly as she soared away on the wand, off to save the world again

It was funny, how it had taken me so long to realize she was just a normal girl forced to take on something I wouldn't have been able to handle and doing the best she could

Her face, dewy with tears and fear for her friends. It was then that I'd seen her as she really was, not as I'd expected her to be.

"Give me the Clow Cards. I'll search for the rest on my own."

"I don't need you!"

"Mei Lin, get off me!"

I broke out of the flood of memory, then sighed, half-grateful I knew what my life had been like.

But then I remembered Sakura was still gone, and that hurt.

__

I should have been there to protect her. She didn't have to die that way!

Why was it that Sakura, my Sakura, was always having to go off and play Wonder Woman? Why was it that she was the one to lose? 

And now, since I was stuck in eternal sleep–

I swallowed as the reality hit me like a ton of bricks. _Maybe I shouldn't have remembered after all,_ I thought fervently.

Because now that I was stuck in eternal sleep, I'd never see her again.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

[AN: Oh, this is getting good! Nice and angsty! Maybe I can kill off somebody else]

Sakura

I stared, heartbroken, at the wall.

Twelve inches. That was all there was between me and Li. Twelve little inches.

But they might have as well been miles. Either way, they kept me apart from him.

I had tried. I had tried and tried, but nothing worked.

Pluto magic was supposed to work time. Yet, the types were different–and I hadn't been able to take down the time freeze.

I'd tried to destroy the barrier with Saturn power, but since Li was in there, it would have killed him too–permanently.

I'd tried every single thing I could think of.

And he was still in there.

I'd let him down for the fifth time. The first time had been when we had been kidnapped by Akumu, and I'd let him get away. Then, when he'd died the first time and I hadn't been there to stop it. And then when he'd died again; that was number three. And number four was when I hadn't been here to keep him from doing this.

And now, I couldn't get him out. Number five. Go-ban. Numero Cinco. 

For the fifth time, I'd failed.

I tried to keep back my tears, but they fell anyway, and I slid down the invisible wall, huddling in a little ball of misery on the floor. 

A soft glow crept into the corner of my eyes, and the Tenchi Crystal floated into the room. The green was shining brightly against the snowy white, the two intertwined and together. It only made me hurt more–I wanted him back.

Then I blinked. The green–that was the Celestial Crystal. It brought back memories of when I first got it.

__

"Your power carries a unique property. It allows you to use it to the full extent when it is fueled by your emotions, and the strongest of all your emotions is love."

Love.

Love was pain. It was joy.

It was happiness. It was sorrow.

It was laughter; it was tears. It was light; it was dark.

Love was living. Love was Life. 

And I loved Li.

The light coming from me started out soft and gentle, but then it quickly developed into something fiercer. It shone brilliantly, like a star brought to earth, more powerful than anything–even my life force.

It broke the barriers of the reality because it was too much for this reality. _Another one of the benefits for being the Warrior,_ I thought wryly in the back of my mind. _Not only do you get a great health plan, but you get to break the rules of your dimension._

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Li

I was just floating there, contemplating again what I'd lost in the dark of my mind, when something shattered. Straightening, I watched, amazed, as white-green light stripped away the shadows

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Sakura

There was a blast of light, and then the air shattered, like when the Earth itself had given me power to defeat Hei Long.

I opened my eyes, and saw the Time Freeze dissipate. Li fell to his knees, and I caught him, tears streaking down my face as I wondered if any of this could have had a negative effect on him.

He flinched, then looked up. Our eyes locked for what had to be the longest moment in my life, and then he whispered unbelievingly, "Sakura?" 

Then his mouth was on mine and his arms around me, and we were both crying and laughing because we'd never expected to see each other again. 

I have to tell you, my body has the worst timing in the world. Why do I say that?

Because, right then, I fainted.

When I woke up, I was in a strange bed that smelled vaguely familiar. I blinked, trying to think of what smelled like that. Then I remembered–it smelled like Li.

A headache started to pound behind my ears, and I flinched. _I must have overdrained, but on what?_

Oh, that's right. I got Li out of the Time Freeze. 

"Headache?" a soft voice asked quietly.

I nodded, the pain increasing so that I couldn't even turn my head. My eyes were squeezed shut.

Two fingers touched my forehead and my headache vanished. I was still exhausted, but now that it wasn't keeping me awake, I started to fall asleep again. 

A hand brushed my cheek, and I caught it, drifting back into unconsciousness once more with a smile on my face. 

~*~

I sighed, leaning into Li's shoulder. Everything was beautiful to me now. Everything.

Or at least, _almost_ everything.

"HEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY, got any more COOOOFFFFFFFFFEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE???" Kero flew headlong into the wall, bounced off, and resumed his flight around the apartment.

It had been a week since our reunion. There was some work to be done, such as implanting memories in people's heads. Now most people thought Li and I had spent the past year and a half we were gone as exchange students again. A few knew the truth, like Madison, Rita, Nikki, and Chelsea, but I knew they wouldn't tell. With Ami's help, I'd directly learned everything I missed in school. It was a shock, knowing that this year I was in the ninth grade, but Li and I were both caught up. In fact, she'd imparted a little more than was necessary so that we wouldn't be at too much of a disadvantage. The plus side was that I finally understood Geometry.

"Sakura?" Li kissed my forehead. "It's time to go."

I reluctantly stood up, and we left the apartment, an unconscious Kero in my bag. I wasn't going to leave him there with the coffee; when he wouldn't stop screaming I'd resorted to whacking him over the head with a roll of newspaper.

The Senshi were down at the bus stop. "Hey, you aren't late," Minako joked.

"Isn't it a miracle?" I smiled, sad. "Are you _positive_ you have to leave?"

"Well, Usagi's got to go get proposed to by Mamoru," Rei said as her friend blushed. "And then we've got a wedding to plan."

"The only one that's going to havewhat is it, twelve bridesmaids?" Hotaru laughed.

"Well, I don't want to leave anyone out!" Usagi protested. 

"Anyway, we've got some stuff for you," Ami said, handing me a small, green, hand-held computer like hers. "This has wireless internet on it, an online camera, and a bunch of other programs. Think of it as a _really_ advanced communicator. I tried to teach Usagi how to use one, butAnyway, there's a tutorial program on it, so it shouldn't be too hard."

"You have to talk to us all the time," Rei pitched in, handing me a pile of protective charms. "Don't get any more of these from that shrine over there," she said with a scowl. "Theirs aren't even half as powerful. I beefed up the one in your room, by the way."

"Show off." Usagi handed me a locket, and Chibiusa dropped a pair of the little winged clips in my hands. "The locket can hold the crystal so you won't have to carry it in your purse."

Minako handed me a slender gold chain. "This is part of the Venus Love Chain. It'll get as long as you want to whenever there's demon ass that needs kicking."

Michiru's gift was another Neptune Aqua Mirror. As she explained, it would reveal what was illusion and what was not–something that would come in handy, now that I had the Tenchi Crystal. Chibiusa told me that every once in a while, someone would try to take it from me.

Setsuna gave me a smaller version of the Garnet Orb, strung on a chain with a key. "It'll take you wherever you want to go in time."

Haruka gave me a small, gold-sheathed dagger as I reflected on all the strange new decorations my room was going to have. "It was made the same way as the Space Sword. If you take it out, it'll get bigger. Take care, Sakura."

"I will," I promised with a smile.

Hotaru gave me the galaxy–sort of. It was in a fist-sized crystal sphere, the stars moving like they were real, but it was only a model. Still, it was beautiful.

"I thought you'd like it," she said shyly.

"I love it," I told her with a hug.

Makoto was last. She stepped forward, eyes closed in concentration, and a moment later, a circlet appeared out of nowhere. It was a chain of slender gold diamonds, with the Jupiter emblem–four diamonds connected to a small sphere–in emerald. I took a breath, realizing exactly what that circlet was–the Jupiter Crown.

"I think Mom wanted you to have this," she said with a small smile.

"Makoto, II don't know what to say" I blinked back tears with difficulty.

"Oh, calm down. We're going to come visit you all the time–you'd better believe it." She wrapped me in a bear hug, and the other Senshi joined us. When we parted, she grinned, then mock-glared at Li and said, "You'd better take care of her or I'll come kick your ass."

"Hey, what about us?" Tenshi protested. She and the other three Lunar Senshi were staying here in Tomoeda, in case there were any emergencies.

"You too," she amended.

The bus pulled up and I gave everybody a last hug. Usagi picked up her bag, setting her foot on the first step.

"WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIITTTTTTTTTT!!!!!!!!!!!!"

"Oh _no._" I hid behind Li as Madison tore around the corner, her camera jammed up against her eye.

"That thing is _evil,_" he muttered. "Pure, Satanic evil."

"Which?" I whispered. "Madison or the camera?"

"I'm not sure"

I giggled into the back of his shoulder, then turned around and found myself face-to-face with a shiny, round, black eye. "AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!"

"Sakura, what is–OMIGOD!" Li backed away, paling as Madison shoved the camera in his face. When he made the sign of the cross with his fingers, she hissed. "Keep it away, or that thing fries!"

__

"Fries?" Madison started turning blue because she couldn't turn any paler, and clutched the camcorder to her heart. "You could _burn_ a _camera?_"

"Easily." Li put his hand in front of the lens. "Keep–"

"YOU CRUEL, SICK, TWISTED SCUM!" Her face had gone an interesting shade of purple. "THEY HAVE FEELINGS TOO, YA KNOW!" Li backed into the side of the bus as she screamed even more obscenities at him.

"I think her head's going to start revolving soon," Haruka muttered. "Sakura, your friend's been possessed."

"Yeah, I noticed," I said weakly, gaping at the now green- and red-faced, shrieking girl/demon. "Uh, Rei?"

"I'm all out of banishing spells!" She frantically scrabbled through her purse and pockets as the people in the bus watched with interest.

"I've got some post-it notes," Minako said helpfully, offering them to her. "And a pen."

"Oh, whatever!" Rei snatched them and wrote the prayer. Seeing the yellow paper in her hand, Madison ran away, and we watched, speechless, as Rei chased the hissing girl around the bus three or four times. Finally, Madison tripped, and she stuck it on her currently teal forehead. "Evil Spirit, I banish you!" 

Madison collapsed, panting, as Rei gritted her teeth and shouted, "The Power of Kami Compels You!" The demon/girl twitched spastically, her face contorted into a snarl. With a sigh, Rei walked up and smacked her upside the head. "Get OUT, you dumb ghost."

There was a whimper, and Madison's eyes rolled up into her head. She fell back and Li inched away, eyes wide.

"Jeez," I breathed, watching as the camcorder emitted smoke. "And the whole time I thought it was just a hobby of hers."

With a crack, the black camera vanished, being replaced by the smaller silver one. "Oh, no" Li groaned. "It was just the camera that was possessed. She must've been taken over _through_ it."

"Well, we'll be leaving now," Usagi said brightly. "You can deal with her when she wakes up!"

"Hey! You guys, wait!" I clumsily got to my feet as they scrambled on board the bus.

"We'll come visit soon!" Makoto yelled out a window as the bus pulled away. 

"No fair!" I waved to them until the bus was out of sight, holding back tears.

~*~

Once I was back home, I opened my new computer. A little Chibi-Ami popped up in the corner and told me the basics. I smiled affectionately, then blinked at the words flashing across the screen.

__

You have **one** new message.

Curious, I opened it.

****

Sender: Makoto

Sent from: Communicator

Message:

Score, Sakura!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Okay, that's it! Beyond the Warrior is done! I decided, though, that I'm going to write a sequel to _this_ too! After all, there's so much potential for moresuch as Usagi's wedding, and then Sakura's, and Madison and Eriol's, and thenSakura and Li's honeymoon ::grins:: Oh, interesting thoughtsTwo words: **No** privacyand then, what if Sakura lost all her magic? The possibilities are endlessYou know, I might even take them _back_ to the DreamWorld

Thank you to everyone who reviewed! I'm glad that you guys at least noticed I'd done a sequel, and the next (last) story in this sequence will be for you!

One last word:

Adiosity! ~_^


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